Q.The value of 5!7! will be —
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🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Factorial Arithmetic
Factorial Arithmetic — From Intuition to Precision
Imagine you have 3 different books you want to arrange on a shelf. How many different ways can you line them up? You could try listing them: Book A, B, C — or A, C, B — or B, A, C — and so on. If you actually count, you'll find 6 arrangements.
Where does that 6 come from? For the first position, you have 3 choices. Once you pick one, you have 2 choices left for the second position. Then only 1 choice remains for the last spot. So the total is 3×2×1=6.
That product — multiplying a whole number by every positive integer smaller than it, all the way down to 1 — is called a factorial. It's one of the most useful shortcuts in counting.
n!=n×(n−1)×(n−2)×⋯×2×1
The symbol is an exclamation mark: n! is read as "n factorial". It only makes sense for non-negative integers.
The first few values
| n | n! | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | Special case (explained below) |
| 1 | 1 | Only one way to arrange one thing |
| 2 | 2 | Two ways: AB or BA |
| 3 | 6 | Three books, six arrangements |
| 4 | 24 | Four items, 24 arrangements |
| 5 | 120 | Grows fast — five books, 120 ways |
0!=1 is not a guess — it's defined to make formulas work. There is exactly one way to arrange zero objects: do nothing. Also, many formulas like n!=n×(n−1)! would break at n=1 if 0! weren't 1.
The recursive nature
Factorials have a beautiful pattern: every factorial is the current number times the previous factorial.
5!=5×4!
4!=4×3!
3!=3×2!
2!=2×1!
1!=1×0!=1×1=1
This recursive definition is often how you'll compute factorials in problems: n!=n×(n−1)!, with the base case 0!=1.
Why factorials explode so fast
Notice how quickly the numbers grow: 5!=120, 6!=720, 7!=5040, 10!=3,628,800. By 20!, you're already at 2.4 quintillion. This rapid growth is why factorials appear in probability (counting arrangements of decks of cards), combinatorics (choosing teams), and even in advanced mathematics like Taylor series.
A common mistake: thinking n! means n multiplied by something else, like n times some number. It's not — it's the product of all integers from n down to 1. Also, factorials are not defined for negative numbers or fractions in basic arithmetic.
The core idea in one sentence …
5!7!=5!7×6×5!=7×6=42. …
5!7!=42, since the 5! in the denominator cancels with part of 7!.
…
Showing the 12 most recent of 19 on this concept.
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.If 6!1+7!1=8!x then value of x is(a) 56(b) 64(c) 48(d) None of these
›Reveal solutionSolution
Multiply both sides by 8! and simplify each factorial ratio using n!=n×(n−1)!.
6!1+7!1=8!x
Multiply both sides by 8!:
6!8!+7!8!=x …
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The value of 5! is —(a) 5040(b) 720(c) 120(d) 24
›Reveal solutionSolution
5!=120, option (c).
By definition, n!=n×(n−1)×(n−2)×⋯×2×1.
…
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.2!=(a) 1(b) 2(c) 4(d) 8
›Reveal solutionSolution
2!=2.
By definition, n!=n×(n−1)×⋯×2×1.
…
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.3!+1!=(a) 6(b) 4!(c) 7(d) 8!
›Reveal solutionSolution
3!+1!=7.
3!=3×2×1=6. 1!=1.
3!+1!=6+1=7. …
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.4!−3!=(a) 1!(b) 3×3!(c) 16(d) 2×3!
›Reveal solutionSolution
4!−3!=18=3×3!.
4!=24, 3!=6. So 4!−3!=24−6=18.
Checking the options against 18: 1!=1 (no); 3×3!=3×6=18 (yes); 2×3!=2×6=12 ( …
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.If 4!1+5!1=6!x then value of x is(a) 40(b) 36(c) 38(d) 32
›Reveal solutionSolution
Rewrite 4!1 and 5!1 with common denominator 6!=720 and add; the numerator sum gives x=36.
4!1+5!1=6!x
4!=24, 5!=120, 6!=720.
241+1201=72030+7206=72036
So 720x=72036⟹x=36.
…
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Fill in the blank: The value of 5! is ____.
›Reveal solutionSolution
5!=5×4×3×2×1=120.
By definition, n!=n×(n−1)×(n−2)×⋯×2×1.
…
- CBSE 2024Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.If (n+1)!=12(n−1)!, the value of n will be(a) n=3(b) n=4(c) n=50(d) None of these
›Reveal solutionSolution
Expand (n+1)! in terms of (n−1)! so the factorial cancels, leaving a simple quadratic in n.
We are given (n+1)!=12(n−1)!.
Write (n+1)!=(n+1)⋅n⋅(n−1)!. So:
(n+1)⋅n⋅(n−1)!=12(n−1)!
Since (n−1)!=0, divide both sides by (n−1)!:
n(n+1)=12
n2+n−12=0
(n+4)(n−3)=0
…
- CBSE 2024Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The value of 5!7! will be —(a) 36(b) 42(c) 40(d) 24
›Reveal solutionSolution
5!7!=42, since the 5! in the denominator cancels with part of 7!.
…
- CBSE 2024Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.If 9!1+10!1=11!n, then the value of n is(a) 120(b) 125(c) 121(d) 130
›Reveal solutionSolution
Express 9!1 and 10!1 with denominator 11! and add.
Since 10!=10×9! and 11!=11×10×9!=11×10!:
9!1=11!10×11=11!110
10!1=11!11
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- CBSE 2023Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.If ⌊61+⌊71=⌊8x (factorial notation, ⌊n=n!), then find x.(a) 54(b) 44(c) 74(d) 64
›Reveal solutionSolution
Multiplying through by 8! converts the factorial fractions into whole numbers, giving x=64.
We're given (using ⌊n to mean n!):
6!1+7!1=8!x
Multiply every term by 8!:
6!8!+7!8!=x
…
- CBSE 2023Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The value of 6!×2!8! will be:(a) 28(b) 64(c) 56(d) 18
›Reveal solutionSolution
6!×2!8!=28.
6!×2!8!=6!×2!8×7×6!=2!8×7=256=28
…
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