A student is given a reading list of eight books from which he must select four for an outside reading requirement. In how many ways can he make his selections?

8C4

To solve this problem, we need to use the concept of combinations.

The formula for combinations is given by nCr = n! / (r! * (n-r)!)

Here, n represents the total number of books on the reading list (8) and r represents the number of books the student needs to select (4).

Plugging the values into the formula, we get:

8C4 = 8! / (4! * (8-4)!)

Simplifying,

8C4 = (8 * 7 * 6 * 5 * 4!) / (4! * 4!)

The 4! terms cancel out,

8C4 = (8 * 7 * 6 * 5) / (4 * 3 * 2 * 1)

8C4 = 70

Therefore, there are 70 different ways the student can make his selections from the reading list of eight books.