AMDM - Fermi Estimates

Fermi did what?

• was good at making logical estimations
• won the Nobel Peace Prize
• was an Italian physicist
• All of the above

If a car is 13.5 feet long and there are 3 feet between each car, how many cars can be on a 1 mile section of highway?

• 640
• 160
• 320
• 5280

A Walmart employee has decided that they would like to completely fill the ball bin in the toy section with one type of ball.

The ball he decided to use had a radius of 16 cm. The ball bin is 2.1 meters tall and the opening at the top is 1.5 meters by 1.5 meters. How many balls should fit inside the bin? _{(Hint: Packing spheres in a rectangular prism take up 190% of their volume)}

• 145

• 15

• 55

• 155

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

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

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