Courtesy of the Kell High School
Math Department
Think! How may triangles can be formed from six non-collinear points? That is, how many triangles could you draw if you had six points, no three of which are on the same line?
Answer: This is a problem of combinatorics, the science of discovering how many different ways there are to accomplish a certain task.
The answer can be found using a graphing calculator by evaluating 6 "choose" 3. That is, 6! divided by 3! which, in turn, is divided by (6-3)! = (6*5*4*3*2*1)/(3*2*1)(3*2*1) = 20.
Twenty triangles can be drawn under the given circumstances.
Announcements
Summer reading for AP Statistics -- How to Lie with Statistics, by Darrell Huff
Math Team practices are on Monday, immediately following school in Mr. Shildneck's room 2214.