Question

An engineer tests the strength of a new material by seeing how much weight it can hold before breaking. Previous tests have held these weights in pounds: 1,200 1,400 1,300 1,500 950 1,600 1,100 Do you think that this material will be able to hold more than 1,000 pounds in the next test? Explain your reasoning. *

Answer 1

The material is 6 out of 7 times likely to support a load above 1,000 pounds

Explanation:

From the data in the given question, we have;

1,200, 1,400, 1,300, 1,500, 950, 1,600, 1,100

Therefore, we have;

The number of trials that the material has been used, n = 7 trials

The number of trials the material holds more than 1,000 pounds, P(W>1,000) = 6 trials

The probability that the material can hold more than 1,000 pounds, 'P' is given as follows;

P = P(W>1,000)/n

∴ P = 6/7

Therefore, the material is 6 out of 7 times likely to support a load above 1,000 pounds