Question: Annie is trying to figure out whether it's safe to drive her truck. For every 3 degrees the temperature drops below 32 degrees, Annie's chances of skidding on ice increase 5%. If she goes into a skid, she has a 40% of regaining control. Otherwise, she'll have a serious accident. If the temperature is 8 degrees, what is the percentage chance of Annie getting into a serious accident if she drives? Think carefully first, then make a decision:
First find how many degrees below 32 the temperature is: 32 degrees - 8 degrees = 24 degrees. Then divide that amount by the number of degrees per 5% increase in skid risk to find how many 5% increases there are: 24 degrees / 3 degrees / 5% increase = 8 5% increases. Multiply the number of increases by 5% to find the total increase in skid risk: 8 * 5% = 40%. Now find the chance that Annie has a serious accident if she goes into a skid by subtracting the chance she regains control from 100%: 100% - 40% = 60%. Finally, multiply the chance of going into a skid by the chance of having a serious accident after a skid to find the total risk of a serious accident: 60% * 40% = 24%. So the answer is 24.