Number of consecutive zeros at the end of $11^{100} - 1$.

How many consecutive zeros are there at the end of $11^{100} - 1$?

Attempt

Trial and error on Wolfram Alpha shows using modulus shows that there are 4 zeros (edit: 3 zeros, not 4). Otherwise, I have no idea even where to start.

$11^{100}=(10+1)^{100}=\sum_{k=0}^{100}\binom{100}k10^k=1+100\cdot10+4950\cdot100+161700\cdot1000+\ldots~$. Thus, $11^{100}-1=1000+495000+161700000+\ldots=162196000+\ldots~$. The remaining terms all have factors of $10^k$ for some $k\ge4$ and therefore have at least four zeroes. Thus, $11^{100}-1$ ends with three zeroes.

Find the highest power of 2 in its factorization and find the highest power of 5 in its factorization. If you take the minimum of these two numbers, you will get the highest power of 10 in the factorization.

Now, to find these highest powers, as you have already mentioned, we use modulus.

$11 \equiv 1 \mod 2$ so that $11^{100} - 1 \equiv 1^{100} - 1 \equiv 0 \mod 2$

Thus, we know that it contains at least one 2.

$11 \equiv -1 \mod 4$ so that $11^{100} - 1 \equiv (-1)^{100} - 1 \equiv 0 \mod 4$

Thus, it contains at least $2^2$.

$11 \equiv 3 \mod 8$ so that $11^2 \equiv 1 \mod 8$ so that $11^{100} - 1 \equiv 1^{50} - 1 \equiv 0 \mod 8$

Thus, we have $2^3$.

$11 \equiv -5 \mod 16$ so that $11^2 \equiv 9 \mod 16$ so that $11^4 \equiv 1 \mod 16$ so that $11^{100} - 1 \equiv 1^{25} - 1 \equiv 0 \mod 16$.

Thus, we have $2^4$. We definitely do not have $2^5$ as

$11^2 \equiv -7 \mod 32$ so that $11^4 \equiv 17 \mod 32$ so that $11^8 \equiv 1 \mod 32$ so that $11^{100} - 1 \equiv 11^4 \cdot 11^{96} - 1 \equiv 17 \cdot 1 - 1 \mod 32 \equiv 16 \mod 32$.

So, your answer is at most 4. Now, do the same for 5.

$11 \equiv 1 \mod 5$ so that $11^{100} - 1 \equiv 1^{100} - 1 \equiv 0 \mod 5$.

Thus, there is at least one 5. Keep going... the calculations will get more difficult as your powers get higher. Or, you could do the same thing directly with 10. But, the numbers would be bigger much faster and thus the calculations might be more difficult.