Question

Choose the correct answer.

From 1957 to 1999, the Atlas rocket was launched 301 times. The number of launch failures was 44. At that rate, if it were launched 903 times, how many failures could be expected?

132

397

44

1,957

Answer 1

To find the expected number of failures if the Atlas rocket were launched 903 times, we need to first calculate the failure rate based on the information provided.

The failure rate from 1957 to 1999 is calculated as follows:

\[
\text{Failure Rate} = \frac{\text{Number of Failures}}{\text{Total Launches}} = \frac{44}{301}
\]

Next, in order to find the expected number of failures for 903 launches, we multiply the failure rate by the new number of launches:

\[
\text{Expected Failures} = \text{Failure Rate} \times \text{New Total Launches} = \left(\frac{44}{301}\right) \times 903
\]

Calculating that:

\[
\text{Expected Failures} \approx \frac{44 \times 903}{301} \approx \frac{39732}{301} \approx 131.95
\]

Rounding this to the nearest whole number gives us approximately 132.

Therefore, the correct answer is:

**132**