By considering the diagrams and the pattern developed in the table, answer the following questions.
- If there are 9 kids, find the number of handshakes.
- If there are 24 kids, find the number of handshakes.
- If there are 120 handshakes, how many kids are there?
(a)
Pattern for the number of handshakes
1 kid: 0
2 kids: 0 + 1 = 1
3 kids: 0 + 1 + 2 = 3
4 kids: 0 + 1 + 2 + 3 =6
Number of handshakes = (Number of kids - 1) x (Number of kids) ÷ 2
Number of handshakes for 9 kids
= (9 - 1) x 9 ÷ 2
= 8 x 9 ÷ 2
= 36
(b)
Number of handshakes for 24 kids
= (24 - 1) x 24 ÷ 2
= 23 x 24 ÷ 2
= 276
(c)
Guess & Check
120 = (Number of kids - 1) x (Number of kids) ÷ 2
120 x 2 = (Number of kids - 1) x (Number of kids)
240 = 15 x 16
Number of kids = 16
Answer(s): (a) 36; (b) 276; (c) 16