Place the digits 1, 2, 3, 4 , and 9 in the boxes below to obtain the least product.
A) 4,386
B) 3,237
C) 4,836
D) 3,328
E) 3,886

Question

Place the digits 1, 2, 3, 4 , and 9 in the boxes below to obtain the least product. ​  ​
A) 4,386 
B) 3,237 
C) 4,836 
D) 3,328 
E) 3,886

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To obtain the least product, we want the smallest digits to be in the left-most boxes. So, we place 1 in the first box and 2 in the second box. To minimize the product, we want the remaining digits (3, 4, and 9) to be as close together as possible, so we put them in the last three boxes in increasing order (3, 4, 9). This gives us the number 12349. Multiplying the digits gives us the product 1*2*3*4*9 = 216. Therefore, the answer is choice B.

Place the Digits 1, 2, 3, 4 , and 9