Final answer:
The actual size of the painting is calculated by multiplying the photo dimensions of 13 inches by 17 inches by the reciprocal of the scale factor, which is 3. The resulting dimensions are 39 inches by 51 inches.
Step-by-step explanation:
To figure out the size of the actual painting when given a photo of the painting with a scale factor of 1/3, we need to do the inverse operation of scaling down, which is to scale up the dimensions by multiplying them by the reciprocal of the scale factor.
Step-by-Step Solution:
- The photo dimensions are 13 inches by 17 inches.
- We know the scale factor is 1/3 for the photo, so to find the actual size, we multiply each dimension by the reciprocal of the scale factor, which is 3 (since 1/(1/3) = 3).
- Multiply the width: 13 inches × 3 = 39 inches.
- Multiply the length: 17 inches × 3 = 51 inches.
- Therefore, the actual painting measures 39 inches by 51 inches.