Year-end weekday – If Friday is the first day of a non-leap year, what day of the week is the last day of that same year?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Friday

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This problem asks for the weekday of the year's last date, given the weekday of the first date in a non-leap year. The key fact is that a non-leap year has 365 days, and weekdays advance by one day per 1-day increment, cycling modulo 7.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Non-leap year length = 365 days.
  • Day 1 (Jan 1) = Friday.
  • Day n has weekday shift of (n − 1) mod 7 from Day 1.


Concept / Approach:
The last day is day 365. Its shift relative to day 1 is 365 − 1 = 364 days. Because 364 is a multiple of 7 (52 × 7), the weekday does not change compared to day 1.


Step-by-Step Solution:

1) Compute offset: 365 − 1 = 364 days from the first day to the last.2) 364 mod 7 = 0.3) Therefore, the last day shares the same weekday as the first day: Friday.


Verification / Alternative check:
Another way: In a non-leap year, the first day of the next year is one weekday ahead (since 365 ≡ 1 mod 7). Therefore, the last day of the current year is the same as the first day. With Jan 1 = Friday, Dec 31 = Friday.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • Sunday/Monday/Tuesday: These reflect offsets of +2, +3, +4 from Friday, which do not apply to a non-leap year's last day.
  • None of these: The correct weekday (Friday) is listed.


Common Pitfalls:
Confusing leap vs non-leap logic. In a leap year (366 days), the last day would be Saturday if the first day were Friday (because 365 mod 7 = 1). Here, with 365 days, there is no shift.


Final Answer:
Friday

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