Final answer:
To calculate the area of the scale drawing, both dimensions of the drawing are needed. Assuming the same scale factor (1 cm:2 m) and that the longer side of the scale drawing is 4 inches, the area of the scale drawing would be 8 square inches.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking how to calculate the area of a scale drawing when given the scale factor and one dimension of the drawing.
To find the area of the scale drawing, we need to know both dimensions of the drawing. If the longer side is given as 4 inches, the shorter side needs to be calculated using the scale factor and the actual dimensions of the room, which were not provided in the question.
However, if the decoration is to scale, we can use the scale factor to find the shorter side and then calculate the area by multiplying the length and width.
If, for instance, we assume that the scale factor is the same as in the example of the meeting room where 1 centimeter equals 2 meters (1 cm:2 m), and that the actual room is twice as long as it is wide, then the shorter side of the drawing would be 4 inches divided by 2, which is 2 inches.
The area of the scale drawing would consequently be 4 inches times 2 inches, which equals 8 square inches.