As of 2012 , there are 435 voting members in the US House of Representatives. At the opening session of the House, it is customary to have each Representative shake hands once with every other Representative. How many handshakes would this account for in 2012?
A) 870
B) 94395
C) 94830
D) 189225
E) None of the above.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The number of handshakes can be calculated using the formula for combinations: C(n, 2) = n(n-1)/2, where n is the number of people. For 435 representatives, the number of handshakes is 435(434)/2 = 94395.

As of 2012 , There Are 435 Voting Members in the US