Final answer:
The number of different subcommittees possible from a board of 10 members when forming a subcommittee of 3 members is 120, calculated using the combination formula C(10, 3).
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the number of different subcommittees possible from a board of directors consisting of 10 members when forming a subcommittee of 3 members, we must use the concept of combinations because the order of selection does not matter. This is a problem of counting without regard to the order and is solved by using the combination formula:
C(n, k) = n! / (k! * (n-k)!) where 'n' is the total number of items to choose from, 'k' is the number of items to choose, 'n!' represents the factorial of n, and 'k!' is the factorial of k.
Here, 'n' is 10 (the total number of board members) and 'k' is 3 (the number of members to be chosen for the subcommittee). Thus, the formula for our calculation is:
C(10, 3) = 10! / (3! * (10-3)!) = (10 * 9 * 8) / (3 * 2 * 1) = 120
Therefore, there are 120 different subcommittees possible when selecting 3 members from a board of 10.