According to geologists, the San Francisco Bay Area experiences five earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.5 or greater every 100 years. What is the probability that one or more earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.5 or greater will strike the San Francisco Bay Area in the next year?
A) 0.0488
B) 0.1353
C) 0.4878
D) 0.9512

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The probability of one or more earthquakes occurring in a given year is found by subtracting the probability of no earthquakes occurring from 1. If there are five earthquakes every 100 years, the probability of no earthquake in a given year is $ (1 - \frac{5}{100}) = 0.95 $. Thus, the probability of at least one earthquake is $ 1 - 0.95 = 0.05 $ or 0.0488 when calculated precisely.

According to Geologists, the San Francisco Bay Area Experiences Five