Gary measured the middle school and made a scale drawing. He used the scale 1 inch = 5 feet. The gym is 85 feet long in real life. How long is the gym in the drawing?

1/5 = x/85

5x = 85

x = 17 inches

To find the length of the gym in the drawing, we need to use the given scale. The scale states that 1 inch on the drawing represents 5 feet in real life.

First, we need to determine how many inches represent 85 feet in real life using the scale. To do this, we can set up a proportion:

1 inch / 5 feet = x inches / 85 feet

Cross-multiplying, we get:

5 feet * x inches = 1 inch * 85 feet

Simplifying further:

5x = 85

Now, we solve for x by dividing both sides of the equation by 5:

x = 85 / 5

x = 17

Therefore, the length of the gym in the drawing is 17 inches.