Handshakes
Pro Problems > Math > Algebra > Equations > Systems of Equations > Word ProblemsHandshakes
Mr. T wants each of his math students to shake hands with each of his other math students exactly once. He also wants each of his math students to shake Mr. H's hand twice. Mr. T shakes Mr. H's hand once. If there were 78 handshakes in all, how many math students does Mr. T have?
Solution
In order to make it feasible for teachers to use these problems in their classwork, no solutions are publicly visible, so students cannot simply look up the answers. If you would like to view the solutions to these problems, you must have a Virtual Classroom subscription.
Similar Problems
Difference System
The difference between two numbers is twice the smaller number. The smaller number is 10 less than the larger number. Find the smaller number.
Six more than Twice the Smaller
The sum of two numbers is six more than twice the smaller number, and if the larger number is multiplied by three, the result is ten less than seven times the smaller number. What is the larger number?
Difference and Sum
Two numbers add to twenty-seven more than the opposite of the smaller number. The numbers differ by three. What is the larger number?
Bag of Candy
Three children share a box of candy between them. Linda gets three times as many peppermints as Shannon, who gets 5 more licorice sticks than Yvette. Yvette gets three times as many licorice sticks as Linda, and half as many peppermints as Linda and Shannon combined. If Shannon got two more licorice sticks than peppermints, and there are 98 candies in all, how many peppermints were there?
Henry's Books
Henry has five books. The third book has 100 fewer pages than the first and second books combined. The fourth book has 50 pages more than twice the number of pages in the first book. The last book has 150 fewer pages than three times the second book. In all, his books have 748 pages. Together, his first and second books have 216 pages. How many pages does his largest book have?
Humpty Dumpty
The reason the king's horses and the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again is that the king's horses were no help whatsoever. In fact, the king's horses (who are not very handy) accidentally break pieces instead of putting them together.
One king's man can put together two pieces every 5 seconds.
One king's horse can break a piece in two every 2 seconds.
There are twenty more men than horses.
If there had been six fewer men, and horses broke pieces at a rate of one every three seconds, they could have done the job.
If the number of men and the number of horses are both prime numbers, how many men and horses are there?
Antique Table Price
The price of an antique table varies directly with age of the antique (in years) and with the surface area (in square feet). The price varies inversely with the number of scratches on the surface. A table which is 120 years old, is 3 feet x 8 feet , and has n scratches on the surface, costs $4,320. A table which is 140 years old, is 4 feet x 8 feet, and has n - 1 scratches on the surface, costs $7,680. If a table 150 years old, which is 4 feet x 6 feet , costs $10,800, how many scratches are on the surface?
A Sum of Sums
If the sum of an integer and the next consecutive integer is added to the sum of another integer and its next consecutive odd integer, the result is 71.
If the smaller of the two numbers is subtracted from twice the larger, the result is 29. What are the two numbers?
Sum of Two Fractions
Napkins, Forks, and Plates
Five napkins and two forks weigh as much as two plates. Five plates weigh as much as sixteen napkins and four forks. How many napkins weigh as much as a six plates?
Blogs on This Site
Like us on Facebook to get updates about new resources