Find Last Digit in Java
beginner· Control Flow · Loops
Problem
The last digit of any number is exactly the remainder left over when it's divided by 10.
Given a number, find its last digit.
Input
45678
Output
Last digit: 8
Java Program
Java
public class LastDigitFinder {
public static void main(String[] args) {
int n = 45678;
int lastDigit = n % 10; // remainder after dividing by 10
System.out.println("Last digit: " + lastDigit);
}
}Output
Last digit: 8
Core Logic
Dividing by 10 and keeping only the remainder isolates the last digit directly, since every digit before it contributes a multiple of 10 and vanishes under modulo.
How It Works
- 1
n % 10dividesnby10and keeps only what's left over. - 2Every digit except the last one contributes a multiple of 10, so it's discarded by the modulo operation.
- 3The result is stored in
lastDigitand printed with a label.
For
n = 45678, 45678 % 10 evaluates to 8, the last digit.💡
Key Point: This works because any number can be written as 10 × (everything but the last digit) + last digit — the modulo strips away the first part entirely.
Key Concepts
modulo operatorint