Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized for You
we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Track Your Progress
every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance
Practice Pays
we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Thank you for using the timer!
We noticed you are actually not timing your practice. Click the START button first next time you use the timer.
There are many benefits to timing your practice, including:
A password to a certain database consists of digits that can
[#permalink]
Show Tags
Updated on: 17 Sep 2012, 06:34
4
25
00:00
A
B
C
D
E
Difficulty:
95% (hard)
Question Stats:
40% (01:49) correct 60% (01:39) wrong based on 513 sessions
HideShow timer Statistics
A password to a certain database consists of digits that cannot be repeated. If the password is known to consist of at least 8 digits and it takes 12 seconds to try one combination, what is the amount of time, in minutes, necessary to guarantee access to database?
Hi, and welcome to the Gmat Club. Below is the solution for your problem.
Total # of passwords possible is \(P^8_{10}=10*9*8*7*6*5*4*3\) (picking 8 different digits out of ten when order of the digits matters, or another approach 10 choices for the 1st digit, 9 choices for the second and so on), 1/5 minute (12 seconds) for one combination, means that time needed to guarantee access to database is \(\frac{P^8_{10}}{5}\) minute.
Hope it's clear
Thank you - But the answer choices are as follows -
a) 8!/5 b) 8!/2 c) 8! d) 10!/2 and e) 5/2.10!
Quote:
Answer to the question you've posted is \(\frac{P^8_{10}}{5}\), which can also be written as \(\frac{10!}{10}=9!\). But still no match with any of the answer choices. Pleas check the question (maybe some info from the stem is missing) or site the source.
I did check the question and following info is missing - If the password is known to consist of at least 8 digits - "at least" is missing
I see. This "at least" changes everything, it means that password can have 8, 9 or 10 digits (more than 10 is not possible as per stem digits must be distinct).
Total # of passwords possible for 8 digits is \(P^8_{10}=\frac{10!}{2}\); Total # of passwords possible for 9 digits is \(P^9_{10}=10!\); Total # of passwords possible for 10 digits is \(P^{10}_{10}=10!\).
Time needed to guarantee access to database is \((\frac{10!}{2}+10!+10!)*\frac{1}{5}=\frac{10!}{2}\) minutes.
A password to a certain database consists of digits that cannot be repeated.If the password is known to consist of 8 digits and it takes 12 seconds to try one combination , what is the amount of time , in minutes , necessary to guarantee access to database?
Hi, and welcome to the Gmat Club. Below is the solution for your problem.
Total # of passwords possible is \(P^8_{10}=10*9*8*7*6*5*4*3\) (picking 8 different digits out of ten when order of the digits matters, or another approach 10 choices for the 1st digit, 9 choices for the second and so on), 1/5 minute (12 seconds) for one combination, means that time needed to guarantee access to database is \(\frac{P^8_{10}}{5}\) minute.
A password to a certain database consists of digits that cannot be repeated.If the password is known to consist of 8 digits and it takes 12 seconds to try one combination , what is the amount of time , in minutes , necessary to guarantee access to database?
Hi, and welcome to the Gmat Club. Below is the solution for your problem.
Total # of passwords possible is \(P^8_{10}=10*9*8*7*6*5*4*3\) (picking 8 different digits out of ten when order of the digits matters, or another approach 10 choices for the 1st digit, 9 choices for the second and so on), 1/5 minute (12 seconds) for one combination, means that time needed to guarantee access to database is \(\frac{P^8_{10}}{5}\) minute.
Hope it's clear.
Thank you - But the answer choices are as follows -
A password to a certain database consists of digits that cannot be repeated.If the password is known to consist of 8 digits and it takes 12 seconds to try one combination , what is the amount of time , in minutes , necessary to guarantee access to database?
Hi, and welcome to the Gmat Club. Below is the solution for your problem.
Total # of passwords possible is \(P^8_{10}=10*9*8*7*6*5*4*3\) (picking 8 different digits out of ten when order of the digits matters, or another approach 10 choices for the 1st digit, 9 choices for the second and so on), 1/5 minute (12 seconds) for one combination, means that time needed to guarantee access to database is \(\frac{P^8_{10}}{5}\) minute.
Hope it's clear.
Thank you - But the answer choices are as follows -
a) 8!/5 b) 8!/2 c) 8! d) 10!/2 and e) 5/2.10!
Answer to the question you've posted is \(\frac{P^8_{10}}{5}\), which can also be written as \(\frac{10!}{10}=9!\). But still no match with any of the answer choices. Pleas check the question (maybe some info from the stem is missing) or site the source.
_________________
Hi, and welcome to the Gmat Club. Below is the solution for your problem.
Total # of passwords possible is \(P^8_{10}=10*9*8*7*6*5*4*3\) (picking 8 different digits out of ten when order of the digits matters, or another approach 10 choices for the 1st digit, 9 choices for the second and so on), 1/5 minute (12 seconds) for one combination, means that time needed to guarantee access to database is \(\frac{P^8_{10}}{5}\) minute.
Hope it's clear
Thank you - But the answer choices are as follows -
a) 8!/5 b) 8!/2 c) 8! d) 10!/2 and e) 5/2.10!
Quote:
Answer to the question you've posted is \(\frac{P^8_{10}}{5}\), which can also be written as \(\frac{10!}{10}=9!\). But still no match with any of the answer choices. Pleas check the question (maybe some info from the stem is missing) or site the source.
Bunuel, I used combination for this problem since the qs uses the word comb. I thought when the qs doesn't indicate anything about the order then we have to assume that it doesn't matter. Please correct me.
Bunuel, I used combination for this problem since the qs uses the word comb. I thought when the qs doesn't indicate anything about the order then we have to assume that it doesn't matter. Please correct me.
Most combinatorics questions can be solved with different approaches. Did you get correct answer with your approach? If yes, then it doesn't matter which formula you used.
Next, it's a password, of course order matters: 12345678 is different from 87654321. \(P^8_{10}\) directly gives the total # of 8 digit passwords (when digits are distinct), because it counts every case of 8 digits possible from 10 (eg the case of "12345678") as many times as the digits can be arranged there (87654321, 56781234, ...). Different way to get the same answer: \(C^8_{10}\) # of ways to choose 8 digits out of 10 multiplied by 8! to get different arrangements of these digits, so \(C^8_{10}*8!\), which is the same as \(P^8_{10}\) (\(C^8_{10}*8!=P^8_{10}\)).
Combinatorics questions are often confusing for many and there are numerous resources with really strange (not to say more) advices, like "if there is some specific word in stem (eg "combination") then use C" or "if there is a direct indication that order matters then use P" and so on.
I think one should understand the formula and not just memorize it. When solving the question we should first understand what it is about and only after that choose the proper tool (formula) and not first choose formula (based on one word) and then trying to squeeze numbers in it.
A password contains at least 8 distinct digits. It takes 12 seconds to try one combination, what is the minimum amount of time required to guarantee access to the database?
The questions seems awkward... Anyways, I will consider that password consists of 8 distinct digits (and of 8 numbers only). So there will be 8! different passwords and hence the minimum time to access the database is 8! * 12.
A password contains at least 8 distinct digits. It takes 12 seconds to try one combination, what is the minimum amount of time required to guarantee access to the database?
Key word here is AT LEAST 8 digits,
case (1): When we have exactly 8 digits in the password
Then the number of passwords = \(10_P_8\)
case (2) : When we have 9 digits in the password
Then the number of passwords = \(10_P_9\)
case (3) : When we have all the digits i.e 10 digits in the password
Then the number of passwords = \(10_P_{10}\)
Total number of passwords to\(10_P_8 + 10_P_9 + 10_P_{10}\)
Time taken to crack 1 password \(= 12 seconds\)
Thus, total time \(= (10_P_8 + 10_P_9 + 10_P_{10})*12\)
Re: A password to a certain database consists of digits that can
[#permalink]
Show Tags
27 Nov 2016, 00:05
1
1
sumana wrote:
A password to a certain database consists of digits that cannot be repeated. If the password is known to consist of at least 8 digits and it takes 12 seconds to try one combination, what is the amount of time, in minutes, necessary to guarantee access to database?
A. 8!/5 B. 8!/2 C. 8! D. 10!/2 E. 5/2.10!
I think the question is flawed. Let me chalk out the conditions according to the question's language.
Condition 1 - Password contains at least 8 digits Condition 2 - All the digits of the password are different.
For both the conditions to be satisfied, there can be three cases.
Case 1 - 8 distinct digits. Bunuel has solved this part.
Case 2 - 9 distinct digits. This will be given by
\(10*9*8*.....*2\) = \(10!\)
To try each permutation 1/5 of a minute is needed.
Case 3 - 10 distinct digits. Same as Case 2.
So the worst case scenario for our "testing machine" will be
8 digits testing - No joy! 9 digits testing - No joy! 10 digits testing - exactly the last one tested turns out to be the match.
Re: A password to a certain database consists of digits that can
[#permalink]
Show Tags
28 Jul 2017, 06:15
1
Bunuel wrote:
sumana wrote:
Quote:
Hi, and welcome to the Gmat Club. Below is the solution for your problem.
Total # of passwords possible is \(P^8_{10}=10*9*8*7*6*5*4*3\) (picking 8 different digits out of ten when order of the digits matters, or another approach 10 choices for the 1st digit, 9 choices for the second and so on), 1/5 minute (12 seconds) for one combination, means that time needed to guarantee access to database is \(\frac{P^8_{10}}{5}\) minute.
Hope it's clear
Thank you - But the answer choices are as follows -
a) 8!/5 b) 8!/2 c) 8! d) 10!/2 and e) 5/2.10!
Quote:
Answer to the question you've posted is \(\frac{P^8_{10}}{5}\), which can also be written as \(\frac{10!}{10}=9!\). But still no match with any of the answer choices. Pleas check the question (maybe some info from the stem is missing) or site the source.
I did check the question and following info is missing - If the password is known to consist of at least 8 digits - "at least" is missing
I see. This "at least" changes everything, it means that password can have 8, 9 or 10 digits (more than 10 is not possible as per stem digits must be distinct).
Total # of passwords possible for 8 digits is \(P^8_{10}=\frac{10!}{2}\); Total # of passwords possible for 9 digits is \(P^9_{10}=10!\); Total # of passwords possible for 10 digits is \(P^{10}_{10}=10!\).
Time needed to guarantee access to database is \((\frac{10!}{2}+10!+10!)*\frac{1}{5}=\frac{10!}{2}\) minutes.
Answer: D.
But as we need to solve a certain password should not we take the no. of highest possibility that is 10! ??!!!! Plz explain
Re: A password to a certain database consists of digits that can
[#permalink]
Show Tags
25 Aug 2018, 10:21
1
sumana wrote:
A password to a certain database consists of digits that cannot be repeated. If the password is known to consist of at least 8 digits and it takes 12 seconds to try one combination, what is the amount of time, in minutes, necessary to guarantee access to database?
A. 8!/5 B. 8!/2 C. 8! D. 10!/2 E. 5/2.10!
OA:D There are \(10\) possibilities for \(1\) st digit i.e \(1\) st digit can be \(0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9\).
After the \(1\) st digit, the number of possibilities keeps decreasing by \(1\) as digits cannot be repeated.
Number of possibilities when there are \(8\) digits in the password: \(10*9*8*7*6*5*4*3=\frac{10!}{2}\)
Number of possibilities when there are \(9\) digits in the password : \(10*9*8*7*6*5*4*3*2 =\frac{10!}{1}\)
Number of possibilities when there are \(10\) digits in the password : \(10*9*8*7*6*5*4*3*2*1 = 10!\)
Total Number of possibilities : \(\frac{10!}{2} +10!+10!=\frac{5*10!}{2}\)
Time taken for trying \(1\) password: \(12\) seconds \(= \frac{12}{60}\quad minutes=\frac{1}{5}\quad minutes\)
Time taken for trying \(\frac{5*10!}{2}\) passwords \(= \frac{1}{5}*\frac{5*10!}{2}= \frac{10!}{2}\)minutes
_________________
Good, good Let the kudos flow through you
gmatclubot
Re: A password to a certain database consists of digits that can &nbs
[#permalink]
25 Aug 2018, 10:21
close
40% (01:49) correct 
