What is the greatest integer n such… | GMAT Quant Solution
Question
The value of (√((8!))+√((9!)))^2 is an integer. What is the greatest integer n such that 2^n is a factor of (√((8!))+√((9!)))^2?
- 3
- 6
- 8
- 11
- 14
Topics: factorials, divisibility, prime factorization, exponents, number theory
Solution
Step 1
We first expand the square of a sum using the formula (a+b)^2 = a^2 + 2ab + b^2.
(√(8!)+√(9!))^2 = 8! + 9! + 2√(8!×9!)
Step 2
We then simplify the factorial expressions and the square root term by recognizing that 9! = 9× 8! and using factorial decomposition.
9! = 9× 8! √(8!×9!) = √(9×(8!)^2) = 3× 8!
Step 3
Next we combine like terms by factoring out 8! from each term.
8! + 9× 8! + 2× 3× 8! = (1 + 9 + 6)× 8! = 16× 8!
Step 4
We now express 16× 8! in prime-factor form to find the exponent of 2. We use prime factorization of 8!.
16 × 8! = 2^4 × 8! = 2^4 × (2^7 × odd) = 2^11 × odd
Answer
11 (D)
