Suppose it is certain that an earthquake will occur some-day. What is the probability (to the nearest percent) that it will occur while you are at work? Assume you are at work 5 hours per day, 260 days per year.
A) 32%
B) 21%
C) 85%
D) 11%
E) 15%

Question

Suppose it is certain that an earthquake will occur some-day. What is the probability (to the nearest percent) that it will occur while you are at work? Assume you are at work 5 hours per day, 260 days per year. ​
A) 32%
B) 21%
C) 85%
D) 11%
E) 15%

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Given that there are 24 hours in a day and you work 5 hours per day, the probability of an earthquake happening while you are at work is 5/24. Since you work 260 days a year, we assume a year-round constant probability. Thus, the calculation is straightforward: 5 hours of being at work out of the 24 hours in a day gives a probability of 5/24, which when converted to a percentage and rounded to the nearest percent is approximately 21%. However, the correct calculation for the probability per day is indeed 5/24, but the question seems to have been interpreted incorrectly in the explanation provided. The correct interpretation should focus on the daily probability, not the annual one, and the rounding might have been mistakenly directed towards an incorrect option. The correct approach is to calculate the daily probability without incorrectly extending or misinterpreting it over the year.

Suppose It Is Certain That an Earthquake Will Occur Some-Day