On the blueprints of Adam's office building, the length of his rectangular office space is 5 1/4 inches. If the actual length of Adam's office space is 10 1/2 feet, what is the scale of the blueprint?
5.25/10.5 = 1/x
5.25x = 10.5
x = 2
1 inch = 2 feet
To find the scale of the blueprint, we need to compare the measurements on the blueprint to the actual measurements.
First, let's convert the measurements to the same units.
The length of Adam's office space on the blueprint is given as 5 1/4 inches, and the actual length is given as 10 1/2 feet.
We need to choose either feet or inches for the comparison, so let's convert the actual length to inches. Since 1 foot is equal to 12 inches, we have:
10 1/2 feet = 10 feet + 1/2 foot = 10 x 12 inches + 6 inches = 120 inches + 6 inches = 126 inches.
Now, we can compare the length on the blueprint to the actual length in inches:
Blueprint length: 5 1/4 inches
Actual length: 126 inches
To find the scale, we divide the actual length by the blueprint length:
Scale = Actual length / Blueprint length
Scale = 126 inches / 5 1/4 inches
To divide fractions, we can multiply the first fraction by the reciprocal (or flip) of the second fraction:
Scale = 126 inches / (5 1/4 inches)
Scale = 126 inches x (4/21 inches)
When we multiply the numbers, we get the scale:
Scale = 504 inches / 21 inches
Scale = 24
So, the scale of the blueprint is 24, which means that every inch on the blueprint represents 24 inches in actual length.