Fermi question · Geography
About how many square kilometers is the surface area of Lake Superior?
Make a fast, defensible estimate before you reveal the reference answer. Think in factors, not exact recall.
What is your estimate?
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Reference answer
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≈ 82.1 thousand square kilometers
Fermi estimates are judged by scale, so a reasonable approximation can still earn a strong score.
One way to estimate it
Convert the lake’s roughly 31,700 square miles into square kilometers.
- Lake Superior area≈ 31,700 mi²
- Square-kilometer conversion≈ 2.59 km² per mi²
- Estimate31,700 × 2.59 ≈ 82,000 km²
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