Question

At one of New York’s traffic signals, if more than 17 cars are held up at the intersection, a traffic officer will intervene and direct the traffic. The hourly traffic pattern from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. mimics the random numbers generated between 5 and 25. (This holds true if there are no external factors such as accidents or car breakdowns.)

Scenario

Hour

Number of Cars Held Up at Intersection

A

noon−1:00 p.m.

16

B

1:00−2:00 p.m.

24

C

2:00−3:00 p.m.

6

D

3:00−4:00 p.m.

21

E

4:00−5:00 p.m.

15

F

5:00−6:00 p.m.

24

G

6:00−7:00 p.m.

9

H

7:00−8:00 p.m.

9

I

8:00−9:00 p.m.

9

Based on the data in the table, which scenarios would require a traffic cop?

Answer 1

Scenario B ,D and F requires traffic cops.

Explanation:

Scenario Hour Number of Cars Held Up at Intersection

A noon−1:00 p.m. 16

B 1:00−2:00 p.m. 24

C 2:00−3:00 p.m. 6

D 3:00−4:00 p.m. 21

E 4:00−5:00 p.m. 15

F 5:00−6:00 p.m. 24

G 6:00−7:00 p.m. 9

H 7:00−8:00 p.m. 9

I 8:00−9:00 p.m. 9

We are given that if more than 17 cars are held up at the intersection, a traffic officer will intervene and direct the traffic.

So, through the given table we can see that Scenario B ,D and F has more than 17 cars .

So, Scenario B ,D and F requires traffic cops.

Answer 2

Scenarios B, D, and F require a police officer. In scenario B, 1:00-2:00pm, and scenario F, 5:00-6:00pm, there are 24 cars. In scenario D, 3:00-4:00pm, there are 21 cars. Both 24 and 21 are greater than 17, so a traffic officer is needed. However, in other scenarios, the number of cars are all less than 17, and no officer is needed.