Question

Carly drew a scale drawing of a house. She used the scale 2 centimeters = 8 meters. What is the scale factor of the drawing?Simplify your answer and write it as a ratio, using a colon.

Answer 1

We know that the scale is 2 cm = 8 m.

To write it as a ratio, we have to have the same units for the model and the real world.

Then, if we apply the units conversions we get:

$\frac{2\operatorname{cm}}{8m}\cdot\frac{1m}{100\operatorname{cm}}=\frac{2}{800}=\frac{1}{400}=1\colon400$

The scale is 1:400, meaning that one unit in the drawing represents 400 units in the real world.

Answer: 1:400