Two Irrational Numbers from the Last Nonzero Digits of n! and nⁿ (Q4710189)

For a positive integer \(A\), let \(\text{lnzd} (A)\) be the last (least significant) nonzero digit in the base \(10\) expansion of \(A\), i.e., \(\text{lnzd} (A)=A/10^i \bmod {10}\) where \(10^i\) is the largest power of \(10\) that divides \(A\). The author considers the ``factorial number'' \(F\) given by its decimal expansion \(0.d_1d_2d_3\ldots\) where \(d_n=\text{lnzd} (n!)\) and the ``power number'' \(P\) given by \(0.d_1d_2d_3\ldots\) where \(d_n=\text{lnzd} (n^n)\). This is motivated by a result due to \textit{R. Euler} and \textit{J. Sadek} [A number that gives the unit digit of \(n^n\), J. Recreational Math. 29, No. 3, 203-204 (1998)] who considered the number \(N\) composed by the last digits of \(n^n\). Of course, the number defined by the last digits of \(n!\) would be of no particular interest. In contrast to Euler and Sadek's result that \(N\) is rational, the author proves that the numbers \(F\) and \(P\) are irrational. Actually, the decimal expansions of \(F\) and \(P\) exhibit many patterns, and these patterns imply that the expansion cannot be eventually periodic.