Final answer:
The total number of matches is 66 when 12 wrestlers compete in a competition.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the total number of matches, we need to consider that each wrestler wrestles one match with each other wrestler. If we have n wrestlers, then each wrestler will have to participate in (n-1) matches. In this case, there are 12 wrestlers, so each wrestler will have to participate in 11 matches. Since the problem asks for the total number of matches, we need to multiply the number of matches each wrestler participates in by the total number of wrestlers, and then divide by 2 to avoid counting matches twice:
Total number of matches = (number of wrestlers × matches per wrestler) / 2 = (12 × 11) / 2 = 66. Therefore, the total number of matches is 66.