Carcass wrote:
Which of the following cannot be the sum of a two-digit number and the number obtained by reversing the two digits?
(A) 88
(B) 121
(C) 134
(D) 145
(E) 187
Let a and b represent the tens digit and units digit of the original number, respectively.
So, the VALUE of the original number = 10a + b (in the same way that 37 = (10)(3) + 7)
When we reverse the digits, a now represents the units digit, and b represents the tens digit.
So, the VALUE of the reversed number = 10b + a
So, the SUM of the two numbers = (10a + b) + (10b + a) = 11a + 11b =
11(a +b)
This tells us that the sum of the two numbers must be a multiple of
11Let me check the other choices we see that answer choice C (134) is NOT a multiple of
11Answer: C