A stoplight has the following cycle: green for 50 seconds, yellow for 4 seconds, and red for 62 seconds. If you arrive at the light 50 times, predict how many times you will have to stop and wait more than 4 seconds.

In each complete cycle of the stoplight, which lasts for 116 seconds (50s green + 4s yellow + 62s red), you will encounter a red light if you arrive during the last 62 seconds. Since the green and yellow lights last for a total of 54 seconds, you can calculate the probability of stopping. Out of the 116 seconds, the chance of arriving during red is 62 out of 116. You make 50 arrivals, so multiplying 50 by (62/116) gives you about 26.7, rounded to 27. Therefore, you can expect to stop and wait more than 4 seconds around 27 times. For further insights, it's neat to consider how the timing of traffic lights affects urban planning. Cities often study traffic patterns and stoplight timing to optimize flow and reduce congestion—imagine a world where traffic jams are a thing of the past! Getting into the math of traffic engineering can offer some exciting career paths, whether in designing smarter cities or creating autonomous vehicle systems.