Maths
The last digit of 7 to the 2026
What is the last digit of 7²⁰²⁶? Tell me how you know without working the number out.
- Hint 1Write down the last digits of 7, 7², 7³, 7⁴, 7⁵. What do you notice?
- Hint 2Only the last digit of each power affects the last digit of the next one.
- Last digits of 7, 7², 7³, 7⁴ are 7, 9, 3, 1.
- 7⁵ ends in 1 × 7 = 7, so the pattern repeats every 4 powers.
- 2026 = 4 × 506 + 2, so 7²⁰²⁶ ends like 7².
- The last digit is 9.
Where it lands: 9
The trap: Saying the pattern repeats without explaining why: the next last digit depends only on the current last digit, so once a digit comes back the cycle must repeat.
What a tutor might ask next: What are the last two digits of 7²⁰²⁶?
Now do one out loud. In the interview you think aloud with a tutor. Try a Maths problem with hints, follow-ups and Mia's feedback on how you think.