Question

B. Paleo seismology studies have found that the section of the San Andreas Fault that failed during the Fort Tejon quake (segment 3) produces a major earthquake every 135 years, on average. Based on this information, how would you rate the chances of a major earthquake occurring along this section in the next 30 years

Answer 1

22.22%

Step-by-step explanation:

In this scenario, we can use the information provided as a relational problem. For example, we are told that on average there is a maor earthquake every 135 years. Therefore, we can say that in 135 years theres a 100% probability that a major earthquake will happen. To find the probability that it will happen in 1 year we need to divide 1 earthquake by 135 years.

1 / 135 = .0074

Now we can multiply this value by 30 years to find the probability that a major earthquake will happen within 30 years.

.0074 * 30 = 0.2222 ... multiply by 100 to get percentage value

0.2222 * 100 = 22.22%

Finally, we can see that there is a 22.22% chance of a major earthquake happening in the next 30 years.