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Mathematics — Standard (041) — CBSE Class 10 board question

Q1. [1] § 1.2 The Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic
Which of the following cannot be the unit digit of $8^n$, where n is a natural number ?
  1. A 4
  2. B 2
  3. C 0
  4. D 6
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2025 30/6/1 Q2
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 10:31 · grounding rag
Model Answer

Answer: C (0)

The powers of 8 cycle through unit digits 8, 4, 2, 6 (for n = 1, 2, 3, 4) and repeat. Since $8^n = 2^{3n}$, its prime factorisation contains only 2, never 5, so the unit digit 0 is impossible.

Explanation

The unit digits of powers of 8 follow a cycle of 4: 8 → 4 → 2 → 6 → 8… So digits 2, 4, and 6 all appear. For a number to end in 0, it must be divisible by both 2 and 5; since $8^n = 2^{3n}$ has no factor of 5 (by FTA, prime factorisation is unique), it can never end in 0.

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Previous-year CBSE Grade 10 board exam questions, organised by subject and chapter, each with a model answer — free to read and print.