To map 48.5 miles using a scale where 1 inch equals 4.5 miles, set up a proportion and solve for 'x'. The solution is approximately 10.78 inches, which is closest to answer choice (a) 10.7 inches.Option A is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the number of inches needed to map 48.5 miles using the scale 1" = 4.5 miles, we set up a proportion. The proportion is 1 inch over 4.5 miles equals x inches over 48.5 miles. This can be represented as:
1 inch / 4.5 miles = x inches / 48.5 miles
To solve for x, we cross-multiply and divide:
(1 inch * 48.5 miles) / 4.5 miles = x inches
x = 48.5 / 4.5
x = 10.7777...
Therefore, x is approximately 10.78 inches, which most closely matches answer choice (a) 10.7 inches.