on the first monday in october, it is traditional that the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court begin their session by each shaking the hand of each of the other justices. how many total handshakes is this
To find the total number of handshakes, we can use the formula for the sum of the first n natural numbers, which is n * (n - 1) / 2.
In this case, there are 9 justices. So, applying the formula:
Total handshakes = 9 * (9 - 1) / 2
= 9 * 8 / 2
= 72 / 2
= 36
So, there would be a total of 36 handshakes.
To calculate the total number of handshakes, we can use the formula for the sum of the first "n" natural numbers, which is (n * (n + 1)) / 2.
Since there are nine justices in the U.S. Supreme Court, "n" in this case will be nine. So, the total number of handshakes can be calculated as:
(9 * (9 + 1)) / 2 = (9 * 10) / 2 = 90 / 2 = 45
Therefore, there will be a total of 45 handshakes when each justice shakes hands with the other justices.