There are n distinct points in the plane, no three of which are collinear. Suppose that A and B are two of these points. We say that segment AB is independent if there is a straight line such that points A and B are on one side of the line, and the other n − 2 points are on the other side. What is the maximum possible number of independent segments?
Easy Math Editor
This discussion board is a place to discuss our Daily Challenges and the math and science related to those challenges. Explanations are more than just a solution — they should explain the steps and thinking strategies that you used to obtain the solution. Comments should further the discussion of math and science.
When posting on Brilliant:
*italics*
or_italics_
**bold**
or__bold__
paragraph 1
paragraph 2
[example link](https://brilliant.org)
> This is a quote
\(
...\)
or\[
...\]
to ensure proper formatting.2 \times 3
2^{34}
a_{i-1}
\frac{2}{3}
\sqrt{2}
\sum_{i=1}^3
\sin \theta
\boxed{123}
Comments
Nice question. What have you tried? What do you guess the numerical answer is?