The table below shows the number of deaths in the U.S. in a year due to a variety of causes. For these questions, assume these values are not changing from year to year, and that the population of the United States is 312 million people.
Table:
Cause Deaths
Passenger car occupant 13,100
Motorcycle driver 4,500
Tornado 553
Skydiving 56
g) People sometimes claim skydiving is less dangerous than driving. Does the data support this claim?
No.
Almost everyone spends a lot of time in cars. Very few of us ever sky dive.
To determine if the data supports the claim that skydiving is less dangerous than driving, we need to compare the number of deaths in each activity relative to the population size.
1. Calculate death rate for passenger car occupant:
- Death rate = Number of deaths / Population size
- Death rate for passenger car occupant = 13,100 / 312 million = 0.000042
2. Calculate death rate for motorcycle driver:
- Death rate = Number of deaths / Population size
- Death rate for motorcycle driver = 4,500 / 312 million = 0.000014
3. Calculate death rate for skydiving:
- Death rate = Number of deaths / Population size
- Death rate for skydiving = 56 / 312 million = 0.00000018
Comparing the death rates, we can see that the death rates for driving (0.000042) and skydiving (0.00000018) are significantly different. This suggests that driving is indeed more dangerous than skydiving. Therefore, the data supports the claim that skydiving is less dangerous than driving.
To determine whether the data supports the claim that skydiving is less dangerous than driving, we need to compare the number of deaths due to skydiving and driving in the U.S. However, since the table only provides the number of deaths for each cause, we also need to consider the population size.
First, let's calculate the death rate for each cause by dividing the number of deaths by the population:
Death rate for passenger car occupant: 13,100 / 312,000,000 = 0.00004199 deaths per person
Death rate for motorcycle driver: 4,500 / 312,000,000 = 0.00001442 deaths per person
Death rate for tornado: 553 / 312,000,000 = 0.00000177 deaths per person
Death rate for skydiving: 56 / 312,000,000 = 0.000000179 deaths per person
Comparing these death rates, we can see that the death rate for skydiving is lower than any other cause listed in the table. Therefore, based on the data provided, it can be concluded that skydiving is indeed less dangerous than driving.