Question

A map has a scale of 1 cm : 20 km. Two cities are 2.5 cm apart on the map. To the nearest tenth of a kilometer, what is the actual distance corresponding to the map distance?.

Answer 1

The ratio of the map is 1cm: 20 km.

On the map, the two cities are 2.5 cm apart. Using the ratio and proportion method one obtains the equation:


`(1 cm)/(20 km) = (2.5 cm)/(y (km))`

y is the measurement in kilometer. Multiplying 20 by 2.5 and dividing by 1. This is by cross multiplication which is a simpler method in evaluating fractions and finding for the unknown. The answer is 50 km.