Find the last two digits of $3^{2002}$.
How should I approach this question using modulo? I obtained 09 as my answer however the given answer was 43.
My method was as follows:
$2002\:=\:8\cdot 250+2$
$3^{2002}=\:3^{8\cdot 250+2}\:=\:3^{8\cdot 250}\cdot 3^2$
The last two digits is the remainder when divided by 100. Thus we need to compute the sum mod 100.
$3^8\equiv 61\:\left(mod\:100\right)$
Thus,
$3^{2002}=\:3^{8\cdot 250+2}\:=\:3^{8\cdot 250}\cdot 3^2$ $\equiv 61^{250}\cdot 9\:\equiv 61^{5\cdot 50}\cdot 9\equiv \:9\:\left(mod\:100\right)$
Therefore my answer would be 09. Am I doing it the right way?
Thanks in advanced