Answer:
6188 different combinations of people
Step-by-step explanation:
This is a combination problem since it does not matter the order of people that answer the phones. The combination looks like this:
₁₇C₅ = [tex]\frac{17!}{5!(17-5)!}[/tex]
This expands to
[tex]\frac{17*16*15*14*13*12!}{5*4*3*2*1(12!)}[/tex]
The 12! cancels out in the top and bottom so the remaining multiplication leaves you with
₁₇C₅ = [tex]\frac{742560}{120}[/tex]
which divides to 6188
