A computational ecologist is analyzing temperature data from 150 environmental sensors. If 60% of the sensors report data every 10 minutes and the rest every 30 minutes, how many total data points are collected in one hour?

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:00:29 +0000

**A computational ecologist is analyzing temperature data from 150 environmental sensors. If 60% of the sensors report data every 10 minutes and the rest every 30 minutes, how many total data points are collected in one hour?**
In an era of increasing environmental awareness and precision monitoring, the way ecologists interpret sensor data shapes climate and ecosystem research. In this case, a computational ecologist processes temperature readings from 150 environmental sensors distributed across key monitoring sites. With 60% of the sensors transmitting data every 10 minutes and the remaining 40% every 30 minutes, understanding the volume of data collected becomes essential—both for research accuracy and operational planning across conservation and urban planning efforts. Currently, data collection systems increasingly rely on mixed reporting intervals to balance accuracy with resource efficiency. The 10-minute interval allows for capturing rapid temperature fluctuations, vital during transitional weather patterns, while 30-minute reporting supports sustained monitoring with reduced bandwidth use. This blend is a growing trend in environmental informatics, enabling smarter, scalable ecological analysis without overwhelming network infrastructure. To calculate total hourly data points:
- 60% of 150 sensors = 90 sensors reporting every 10 minutes
- 40% of 150 sensors = 60 sensors reporting every 30 minutes Over 60 minutes:
- Each of the 90 sensors collects 60 ÷ 10 = 6 data points per hour
- Each of the 60 sensors collects 60 ÷ 30 = 2 data points per hour