AMDM Fermi Lesson

Multiple Choice

Fermi did what?

• was good at making logical estimations

• won the Nobel Peace Prize

• was an Italian physicist

• All of the above

Fermi Problems

Fermi Problems help us to estimate large quantities by allowing us to use estimates to make an educated guess.

What assumptions can you make? or have been made? Use those values to multiply or divide as required.

Multiple Choice

As a Fermi estimate, how many carrots are on this truck?

• 100-1,000

• 1,000-10,000

• 10,000-100,000

• 100,000-1,000,000

Multiple Choice

"How much money do I spend on shoes a year?" is a Fermi problem.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Is this a Fermi Question?

How many people attended Super Bowl XX?

• Yes

• No

Multiple Choice

"How many seconds are in a decade?" is a Fermi problem.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

"How years of my life will I sleep?" is a Fermi problem.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Is this a Fermi Question?

How many people watched Super Bowl XX?

• Yes

• No

Multiple Choice

"How many inches are in 18 miles?" is a Fermi problem.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Fermi problems require dimensional analysis skills. Let's Practice!

A bag of rice weighs 4 pounds.  One ounce of rice contains about 2000 grains of rice.  About how many grains of rice are in the bag?  (1 pound = 16 ounces)

• 128,000

• 64,000

• 32,000

• 3,200,00

Multiple Choice

Which of the following facts is least important to answering the Fermi question "How many miles will I walk at Mays High this school year?"

• Your walking speed

• Average number of steps per day

• Length of a step

• Number of days in a school year

Multiple Choice

Which of the following facts is least important to answering the Fermi question "How much money does my family spend on clothes in a year?"

• Number of people in your family

• Average number of clothing items a person in your family buys per year

• Average price of a clothing item

• Number of shoes you own

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the most reasonable answer to the Fermi problem "How many times will the average student use the bathroom at Mays High School this year?"

• 5

• 50

• 500

• 5,000

Multiple Choice

Use a Fermi Estimate to approximate the answer to the question below using the provided assumptions.
How much would it cost in gas money to drive across the US?
-The US is about 3000 miles across
-Gas cost $2.00 per gallon
-The car gets 25 miles per gallon

• $120.00

• $190.00

• $275.00

• $240.00

On next class, you will start a project dealing with Fermi estimates.