Question

Bridge Inventory In 2009, there were about 603,000 bridges in the United States, of which 150,000 were either deficient or obsolete. What are the odds that a randomly selected bridge in the United States is either deficient or obsolete?

Answer 1

The odds that a randomly selected bridge in the United States is either deficient or obsolete is approximately 24.88%.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks about the odds that a randomly selected bridge in the United States is either deficient or obsolete. With a total of 603,000 bridges and 150,000 being either deficient or obsolete, the odds can be calculated using simple probability.

To find the odds, we divide the number of deficient or obsolete bridges by the total number of bridges:

Odds = Deficient or Obsolete Bridges / Total Bridges
Odds = 150,000 / 603,000
Odds ≈ 0.24876

To express this as a percentage, we multiply by 100:

Odds ≈ 0.24876 * 100
Odds ≈ 24.88%

Therefore, the odds of a randomly selected bridge being either deficient or obsolete is approximately 24.88%.