TSA Problem Solving Flashcards

A conveyor belt moves bags at 0.5 meters per second over a 20-meter scanning zone. How long is each bag inside the scanning zone?

Answer: 40 seconds

Distance divided by speed gives 20 divided by 0.5, which equals 40 seconds.

Policy: liquids over 3.4 oz are prohibited in carry-on. A passenger has a 3.0 oz bottle and a 4.0 oz bottle. How many bottles are prohibited?

Answer: 1

Only the 4.0 oz bottle exceeds the 3.4 oz limit, so one bottle is prohibited.

A queue grows by 10 people per minute and is cleared by 15 people per minute when open. Starting at 100 people, how long until the queue is empty?

Answer: 20 minutes

The net clearance is 5 people per minute, so 100 divided by 5 equals 20 minutes.

If checkpoint A is closed, all its passengers reroute to checkpoint B. A had 80 people and B had 40. What is B's new load?

Answer: 120

B absorbs A's 80 passengers on top of its own 40, totaling 120.

A pattern shows alarms at gates numbered 2, 4, 6, 8. Following the pattern, which gate alarms next?

Answer: 10

The sequence increases by 2 each time, so 10 follows 8.

An officer must verify ID and boarding pass before allowing entry. A passenger presents a valid boarding pass but no ID. What is the correct decision?

Answer: Deny entry until ID is provided

Both items are required, and the missing ID means entry must be denied.

A body scanner completes one scan every 15 seconds. How many passengers can it scan in 30 minutes of continuous operation?

Answer: 120

Thirty minutes is 1800 seconds, and 1800 divided by 15 equals 120 scans.