Misrepresentation In Mathematical Problems



Misrepresentation In Mathematical Problems

Q) "How often do you run red lights?"

Introduction

One of a set of colored lights placed at crossroads, junctions, etc., to control the flow of traffic. A red light indicates that traffic must stop and a green light that it may go: usually an amber warning light is added between the red and the green. Traffic light is a set of colored lights at a road junction whose function is to control the flow of traffic on main-road intersections. First used in the USA in 1914, traffic lights, suspended above or set alongside roads, have been adopted universally and follow a uniform pattern, using combinations of green, amber, and red (with countries showing some variation in the timing of amber). Today, the signaling systems are for the most part computerized. The fixed-time system is most widely used, and is set to favor traffic on main roads. A system that sets the cycle lengths of the signal changes can be operated to vary during the day to accommodate changing traffic patterns. Advanced traffic control systems operate on a continuously varying signal plan devised by a computer in the light of closely monitored traffic conditions relayed from traffic detectors on or under the street (Motavalli, 2003).

Discussion

"How often do you run red lights" may be problematic for many reasons, but I'll list only a few here. If the person being surveyed was a police officer or ambulance driver who is legally allowed to run red lights and the purpose of this question is to determine how many people illegally run red lights, then the data collected could be problematic. A definition or running red lights might also lead to better data. For example, does proceeding through an intersection when the light is yellow and change to ...