Question

One rule of thumb for estimating crowds is that each person occupies 2.5 square feet. Use this rule to estimate the size of the crowd watching a parade along a 2-mile section that is 5 feet deep on both sides of the street. (1 mile = 5280 feet)

Answer 1

To estimate the crowd size, the total area spectators can occupy along both sides of a 2-mile parade route is calculated (105600 square feet) and divided by the area each person occupies (2.5 square feet), resulting in an estimate of approximately 42,240 people.

Step-by-step explanation:

To estimate the size of the crowd watching a parade, we can use the given rule of thumb that each person occupies an area of 2.5 square feet. The parade stretches along a 2-mile section of the street, with crowds 5 feet deep on both sides.

Firstly, we convert the 2-mile distance into feet:
2 miles × 5280 feet/mile = 10560 feet.

Next, we calculate the total area on one side of the parade:
10560 feet (length) × 5 feet (depth) = 52800 square feet.

Since there are crowds on both sides of the street, we multiply this area by 2:
52800 square feet × 2 = 105600 square feet.

Now, to estimate the number of people, we divide the total area by the area occupied per person:
105600 square feet / 2.5 square feet/person = 42240 people.

So, approximately 42,240 people can fit in the area along the 2-mile section of the parade route, given the specified conditions.