Did you know?
Did you know that when making a scale drawing, the widths and lengths are proportional to the actual measurements? In the example given, Jamal used a scale of 2 inches : 1 foot. If the porch in the drawing is 30 inches wide, we can find out the width of the actual porch by setting up a proportion. Taking into account the scale, we know that 2 inches on the drawing represents 1 foot in reality. By cross-multiplying, we get 2 inches (drawing) = 1 foot (actual width). This means that for every 2 inches on the drawing, the actual width is 1 foot. So, to find the width of the actual porch, we multiply 30 inches by the ratio 1 foot : 2 inches. After calculation, we discover that the width of the actual porch is 15 feet. This is a great example of how scale drawings allow us to represent real-life measurements in a proportional way.