Three digit number divisibility by 7

CAT 2005 Slot 1 · QA · Medium · Number System

The digits of a three-digit number A are written in the reverse order to form another three-digit number B. If B>AB > A and BAB - A is perfectly divisible by 7, then which of the following is necessarily true?

  1. A.

    100<A<299100 < A < 299

  2. B.

    106<A<305106 < A < 305

  3. C.

    112<A<311112 < A < 311

  4. D.

    118<A<317118 < A < 317

Answer

B

Explanation

Let A=100a+10b+cA = 100a + 10b + c and B=100c+10b+aB = 100c + 10b + a. BA=99(ca)B - A = 99(c - a). Since B>AB > A, c>ac > a. BAB - A is divisible by 7, and 99 is not divisible by 7, so (ca)(c - a) must be divisible by 7. Since aa and cc are single-digit non-zero numbers, the possible values for (c,a)(c, a) are (9,2)(9, 2) or (8,1)(8, 1).

  • If a=1,c=8a = 1, c = 8, then AA ranges from 108108 to 198198.
  • If a=2,c=9a = 2, c = 9, then AA ranges from 209209 to 299299. Hence AA ranges from 108108 to 299299. This range lies completely within 106<A<305106 < A < 305.

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