In the expression $5 * 4 * 3 * 2 * 1$, * is chosen from +, -, x each at most two times. What is the smallest…
In the expression $5 * 4 * 3 * 2 * 1$, * is chosen from +, -, x each at most two times. What is the smallest non-negative value of the expression?
3
2
1
0
Solution
Choosing the operations as $5 - 4 - 3 + 2 \times 1 = 5 - 4 - 3 + 2 = 0$. This uses '-' twice, '+' once and 'x' once, satisfying the constraint. The smallest non-negative value is 0.