QUESTION

CSAT

Easy

Reasoning

Prelims 2024

In the expression $5 * 4* 3* 2* 1$ , $*$ is chosen from $+$ , $-$ , $\times$ each at most two times. What is the smallest non-negative value of the expression?

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Explanation

The first step is to maximize the use of subtraction and addition to reduce the expression to its smallest value.

Approach:

Maximizing Subtraction: Using subtraction will reduce the value of the expression. To achieve the smallest result, we want to subtract as much as possible.

Addition Strategy: Adding numbers whenever required to keep the resulting value non-negative.

Calculation: First, subtract strategically to bring the result to zero: $5 - 4 = 1$ , $1 - 3 = -2$ , $-2 + 2 = 0$ , $0 \times 1 = 0$ . By using subtraction, addition and multiplication in the correct order, we achieve a result of 0.