21.5k views
5 votes
5. The highest recorded temperature in Alaska occurred in 1915 at

100°F. The highest recorded temperature in Indiana occurred in
1936 and was 16% higher than the highest temperature in
Alaska. What is the highest recorded temperature in Indiana?

1 Answer

2 votes

Answer:

116 °F

Explanation:

We presume the temperature of interest is ...

(100 °F)×(1 +16%) = 116 °F

The highest recorded temperature in Indiana was 116 °F.

_____

Comment on the question

Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit is reported using an interval scale, not a ratio scale. The notion of a percentage change in temperature measured by such a scale makes no mathematical sense.

Yes, you can perform percentage-like operations on the numbers (which is what we did here), but the idea that 116 °F is a 16% higher temperature than 100 °F is complete nonsense. For such ratios to be meaningful, an absolute temperature scale is needed, such as the Kelvin or Rankine scales.

User Aherman
by
6.5k points