A student working on a transportation engineering project analyzes traffic flow at an intersection for 20 min. From past data, the average # of cars per minute is 17.6.
(A) What is the expected number of cars in the entire 20 min period?

• A. $18$
• B. $352$
• C. $360$
• D. $340$

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Identify the type of problem. This is a problem involving expected value, which is a fundamental concept in probability and statistics. The expected value is calculated by multiplying the average rate of occurrence by the total time period.
2. Step 2: Define the variables. Here, the average number of cars per minute (rate) is 17.6, and the total time period is 20 minutes.
3. Step 3: Write the formula for the expected value. The expected number of cars in the 20-minute period can be calculated as: $E=\mathrm{rate}\times \mathrm{time}$
4. Step 4: Substitute the given values into the formula. Replace 'rate' with 17.6 and 'time' with 20: $E=17.6\times 20$
5. Step 5: Perform the multiplication to find the expected number of cars. This will give you the total expected number of cars in the 20-minute period.