document.write( "Question 840535: 1. If two people shake hands, how many handshakes take place?
\n" ); document.write( "2. If three people shake hands with one another exactly once, how many handshakes take place?
\n" ); document.write( "3. If four people shake hands with one another exactly once, how many handshakes take place?
\n" ); document.write( "4. If five people shake hands with one another exactly once, how many handshakes take place?\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Continue this pattern until you have sufficient data to allow you to answer what will happen if there are n people.
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Algebra.Com's Answer #506215 by ewatrrr(24785)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
 
\n" ); document.write( "Hi,
\n" ); document.write( "Suppose there are 6 people in a room. Each of those 6 would shake hands with 5 others.
\n" ); document.write( "Thus, we have 6 * 5. However, there would be handshakes between each pair twice.
\n" ); document.write( "we must divide by two, giving us the formula:
\n" ); document.write( "6*5/2 or, generalized to n(n-1)/2.\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "___1___2___3__4__5__6
\n" ); document.write( "1|1,1 1,2 1,3 etc
\n" ); document.write( "2|2,1 etc
\n" ); document.write( "3|3,1 _etc
\n" ); document.write( "4|
\n" ); document.write( "5|\r
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