GreenlightTestPrep wrote:
In a room of 12 people, each person shook hands with exactly 3 other people. How many handshakes took place?
A) 18
B) 36
C) 55
D) 110
E) 220
Let's say the 12 people are
A, B, C, D, ...., K and LIf each person shook hands with exactly
3 other people, then person A participated in 3 handshakes.
Similarly, person B participated in
3 handshakes.
Person C participated in
3 handshakes.
.
.
.
Person K participated in
3 handshakes.
Person L participated in
3 handshakes.
So, the total number of handshakes = (12)(
3) =
36 (but the correct answer is not B)
Notice that every handshake has been counted TWICE.
For example, if B and G shook hands, then person B counted the handshake, AND person G counted the same handshake.
To account for this duplication, we'll divide
36 by 2 to get
18Answer: A