Question

kind of urgent!! Please describe a real-world scenario in which it would be important to know how to apply scale factors.

Answer 1

One example is that you're given blueprints and you want to find out how large the object is in real life, rather than just on paper. The scale factor will help find those real life measurements. Let's say a house on paper is 2 inches long, and also let's say the scale factor is labeled "1 inch = 20 feet". This means the real life house is 2*20 = 40 feet long.

You could think of it as 1 inch = 20 feet, so 2 inches = 40 feet (multiply both sides by 2).

Scale factors are also used in maps. Look at the bottom corner of any map and it will show you how each distance on paper corresponds to a real life distance (in miles or kilometers maybe). Usually it shows a checkered "ruler" of sorts.

Answer 2

everyday living

Explanation:

Scale factors are involved in virtually every aspect of the logistics of everyday life. Scale factors of number of units, price per unit, and tax rate are applied to every shopping experience. Scale factors of miles per gallon, or daily rate, or number of travelers are applied to most travel experiences. Scale factors of number of people and/or serving size are applied to food planning--even when ordering pizza.

Scale factors are involved in virtually every aspect of engineering, from specifying or estimating a job, to scheduling, material choice, purchase, and application. Sometimes, these are "rules of thumb", and sometimes they are based on careful calculation.

Much of modern technology is based on the observation that computing power doubles every 2 years or so--a scale factor consistently seen for more than 50 years. This has informed systems planning in many different industries.