Fermi Problems

A football field is 360 feet long and 160 feet wide.  The principal is making an evacuation plan for the school.  How many students can the principal expect to fit on the football field in an emergency?  (Remember the expected floor space a standing person occupies is about 2.5 sq feet)

• 20340
• 20430
• 23040
• 24030

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

Use a Fermi Estimate to approximate the answer to the question below using the provided assumptions.
How much air does someone breath in each day?
-It takes 5 breaths to breath 1 liter of air
-We breath on average 10 times per minute

• 14,400 Liters
• 2,880 Liters
• 720,000 Liters
• 7,200 Liters

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

Use a Fermi Estimate to approximate the answer to the question below using the provided assumptions.
How much air does someone breath in each day?
-It takes 5 breaths to breath 1 liter of air
-We breath on average 10 times per minute

• 14,400 Liters
• 2,880 Liters
• 720,000 Liters
• 7,200 Liters

Estimate the size of a crowd at a parade that is 7 ft deep on both sides and 5280 ft long, using the 2.5 sq. ft per person rule.

• 14784
• 29568
• 36960
• 92400

How many feet are in 1 mile?

• 10
• 5400
• 5280
• 5000

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

• Your walking speed

• Average number of steps per day

• Length of a step

• Number of days in a school year

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

• 5

• 50

• 500

• 5,000