Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: 4995195
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This coding question uses alphabet positions but keeps only the unit digit of each position. The task is to infer the digit pattern from the given example "AILMENT" and then apply that pattern to another word, "DISEASE". Such questions check attention to small numerical details and pattern observation rather than calculations alone.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
First decode the pattern from "AILMENT". Determine the position of each letter, then observe how the code 1923540 is formed. If the digit for each letter matches the unit digit of its alphabetical index, we have the rule. Once this is confirmed, we repeat the process for DISEASE. Each letter is translated to its alphabetical position, but only the unit digit of that number is written, and all such digits are concatenated to form the final code.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write the letters of AILMENT and their positions in the alphabet.
Step 2: A is 1, I is 9, L is 12, M is 13, E is 5, N is 14 and T is 20.
Step 3: Take the last digit of each position: 1, 9, 2, 3, 5, 4 and 0.
Step 4: Concatenate these digits to get 1923540, which matches the given code and confirms the rule.
Step 5: Now determine the positions for DISEASE.
Step 6: D is 4, I is 9, S is 19, E is 5, A is 1, S is 19 again and E is 5 again.
Step 7: Take the last digit of each: 4, 9, 9, 5, 1, 9 and 5.
Step 8: Concatenate the digits: 4 9 9 5 1 9 5 gives 4995195.
Verification / Alternative check:
To double check, verify a couple of letters carefully. S is the 19th letter, and its last digit is 9, which appears every time S occurs in DISEASE. E is 5, and the digit 5 correctly appears wherever E appears in the word. This confirms that the pattern is applied consistently and there is no misplacement of digits.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Options 4985195, 4905195 and 4995196 modify one of the digits, implying a wrong last digit for one of the letters. For example, using 8 instead of 9 for S or 6 instead of 5 for E would contradict the pattern established by AILMENT. These variations are specifically designed to capture errors in computing alphabet positions or in extracting the final digit.
Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to use the full alphabet position rather than just the last digit, which would give a longer code and not match the given example. Others may miscount letter positions or reverse digits accidentally during concatenation. Systematically writing the alphabet positions and then extracting the unit digit for each letter is the most reliable way to avoid such mistakes.
Final Answer:
Following the same last digit rule that converts "AILMENT" to 1923540, the correct code for "DISEASE" is 4995195.
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