QUESTION

CSAT

Hard

Reasoning

Prelims 2022

In the series AABABCABCDABCDE.., which letter appears at the 100th place?

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Explanation

The given series is: AABABCABCDABCDE…

The pattern follows: A, AB, ABC, ABCD, ABCDE, and so on, where the number of letters increases in an arithmetic progression. We need to determine how many such terms fit within a total of 100 letters.

In an arithmetic series, the sequence is 1, 2, 3, ..., where the sum of the first nn terms can be calculated using the formula: Sum=(n2)(n+1)(\frac{n}{2})(n+1)

To find nn such that the total number of letters is at least 100, we need to solve: (n2)(n+1)100(\frac{n}{2})(n+1) \ge 100

Estimating this, we find that n=14n = 14 is the largest integer satisfying this condition.

Calculating for n=13n = 13: Sum=(13×142)=91(\frac{13 \times 14}{2})=91

This means that the 13th block ends at the 91st letter. The letters for the 14th block (which starts at position 92) are: 92nd: A, 93rd: B, ... , 100th: I

Thus, the letter at the 100th position is I.

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