document.write( "Question 108982: There was a party and everyone shook everyone's hands. There were 66 handshakes!! How many people were at the party???????????
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Algebra.Com's Answer #79462 by MathLover1(20849)\"\" \"About 
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There was a party and everyone shook everyone's hands. There were 66 handshakes!! How many people were at the party?\r
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\n" ); document.write( "we know that:\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "with two people (x and y), there is \"one\" handshake; (\"x\" with \"y\")\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "with three people (x,y, and z), there are \"three\" handshakes; x with y and z, and y with z\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "with four people (x, y, z, and e), there are \"six\" handshakes; x with y, z, and e, then y with z and e, then z with e\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "In general:\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " with \"n%2B1\" people, the number of handshakes \"is+-the-+sum\" of the\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " first \"n\" consecutive numbers: \"1%2B2%2B3%2B+...+%2B+n\"\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Since this \"sum\" is \"n%28n%2B1%29%2F2\", \r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "we need to solve the equation \"n%0D%0A%0D%0A%28n%2B1%29%2F2+=+66\" ...multiply both sides by \"2\".=> \"n%28n+%2B+1%29=+132\"....=>...\"n%5E2+%2B+n+=+132\"\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "this is the quadratic equation \"n%5E2%2B+n+-132+=+0\" \r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "use quadratic formula and solve for \"n\":\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "\"x%5B1%2C2%5D=%28-b+%2B-+sqrt+%28b%5E2+-4%2Aa%2Ac+%29%29+%2F+%282%2Aa%29\"\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "since \"a+=+1\"}, \"b+=+1\", and \"c+=+-132\", you will have:\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "\"x%5B1%2C2%5D=%28-1+%2B-+sqrt+%281%5E2+-4%2A1%2A%28-132%29+%29%29+%2F+%282%2A1%29\"\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "\"x%5B1%2C2%5D=%28-1+%2B-+sqrt+%281+%2B+528+%29%29+%2F+2\"\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "\"x%5B1%2C2%5D=%28-1+%2B-+sqrt+%28529+%29%29+%2F+2\"\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "\"x%5B1%2C2%5D=%28-1+%2B-+23+%29+%2F+2\"\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "we need only positive root:\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "\"x%5B1%5D=%28-1+%2B+23+%29+%2F+2\"\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "\"x%5B1%2C2%5D=+22+%2F+2\"\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "\"x%5B1%2C2%5D=+11\"\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " we obtain \"11\" as the answer and deduce that \"there-+were+-12-+people-+at-+the-+party\".\r
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