Question

On a park map, the distance from a picnic table to the hiking trail is 3 centimeters (cm). The map uses a scale of 2 cm = 150 meters (m). What is the actual distance from the picnic table to the hiking trail? *

10 points
a. 60 m
b. 100 m
c. 225 m
d. 375 m

Answer 1

The correct option is c. 225 m

Explanation:

Scaling

Objects can be represented in a reduced or augmented size by using scaling which is basically multiplying or dividing by a constant factor. We use scaling when representing geographic locations on a map.

We know on a park map, the distance from a picnic table to the hiking trail is 3 cm and the map uses a scale of 2 cm = 150 m. Dividing by 2, the equivalence between centimeters in the map and meters in the field is

1 cm = 75 m

Based on the scale factor, we can calculate the actual distance:

3 cm * 75 m/cm = 225 m

a. This option is incorrect because it's not 225 m

b. This option is incorrect because it's not 225 m

c. This option is correct because the actual distance is 225 m

d. This option is incorrect because it's not 225 m