Scales given as ratios
Some scales are given as ratios and are displayed like this 1:500. This means that each centimetre as measured is equal to 500 cm in real life. A scale of 1:20 000 would mean that 1 cm is actually equivalent to 200 m.
Question
What is the distance between A and B in metres, using this map?
There are 9 cm between points A and B. So we must multiply 9 by 18,000 to get 162,000 cm. Since the question asks for the answer to be in metres, we must now divide by 100. The answer is therefore 1,620 m.
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