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The question is about a perfect cube and factors. Number of factors of several numbers are given. We need to find out which of them is perfect cube. Dealing with factors of a number is a vital component in CAT Number Systems: Factors. A range of CAT questions can be asked based on this simple concept of Factors. CAT exam has always tested the idea of Factors from Number systems. The idea of Factors questions forms an integral part of the CAT syllabus. If you would like to take these questions as a Quiz, head on here to take these questions in a test format, absolutely free.

Question 7: Numbers A, B, C and D have 16, 28, 30 and 27 factors. Which of these could be a perfect cube?

A and B
B and C
A, B and C
B and D

Explanatory Answer

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Explanatory Answer

Method of solving this CAT Question from Number Theory - Factors: We can find number of factors of a given perfect cube. Given the number of factors, can you say if the no. is a perfect cube.

Any number of the form p^aq^br^c will have (a + 1) (b + 1) (c + 1) factors, where p, q, r are prime. In order for the number to be a perfect cube a, b, c will have to be multiples of 3.

We can assume that a = 3m, b = 3n, c = 3l.
This tells us that the number of factors will have to be of the form (3n + 1) * (3m + 1) * (3l + 1). In other words (a + 1), (b + 1) and (c + 1) all leave a remainder of 1 on division by 3. So, the product of these three numbers should also leave a remainder of 1 on division by 3. Of the four numbers provided, 16 and 28 can be written in this form, the other two cannot.

So, a perfect cube can have 16 or 28 factors. Now, let us think about what kind of numbers will have 16 factors.
A number of the form p¹⁵ or q³r³ will have exactly 16 factors. Both are perfect cubes. Note that there are other prime factorizations possible that can have exactly 16 factors. But these two forms are perfect cubes, which is what we are interested in.
Similarly, a number of the form p²⁷ or q³r⁶ will have 28 factors. Both are perfect cubes.