In a black and white world, statistics is a two-sided coin: flip a tail to win and flip a head to lose. Of course in the real, variegated world, there are usually more than 2 choices. Nevertheless, sometimes we approach situations with a double-headed coin.
Have you ever met someone who was afraid of air travel? These aerophobes flip the double-headed coin and proclaim, “If I fly, then I will die.” They don't know how to use statistics.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board’s 2006 findings, only 1.9% of passengers who were in airplane accidents received injuries. This data implies that 98.1% of passengers who fly on the typical, commercial flight safely survived accidents.
If 2,829 passengers were involved in airplane accidents in 2006, then how many survived the accident without sustaining injuries?
Step 1: Find the percentage of non-injured passengers.
100% - 1.9% = 98.1%
Note: Don’t convert the percents into decimals; simply subtract the numbers.
Step 2: Multiply the percentage by the number of passengers. For this step, be sure to convert 98.1% into a decimal.
.981 * 2829 = 2,775.249
About 2,775 passengers survived plane crashes uninjured.
Use this worksheet to explore the other side of a percent.
Exercises
Find the answers to the following exercises:
1. Let’s say that 35% of students at Crackton High School drop out and do not graduate. If there are 3,000 students at the school, then how many stay in school?
2. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the birth rate of women aged 15 – 19 years in 2006 was 4.19%. In a group of 3,000 women aged 15 - 19 years, estimate the number of women who did not give birth.
3. Imagine that 3% of millionaires in Harris County became rich because they won the lottery. If there are 720 millionaires in the county, then how many millionaires became rich without winning the lottery?
4. Two types of undergraduate students exist – those who finish in 4 years or less and those who finish in over 4 years. The percentage of these undergraduates who finish in fewer than 4 years is 40%. Out of 15,000 undergrads, how many will finish in more than 4 years?
5. Organic cilantro is being recalled, for E.coli has contaminated the spicy plant. About 20% of people who eat the contaminated cilantro are suffering the symptoms of E.coli poisoning. If 840 people ate the cilantro, then how many of them did not get sick?