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Scale Drawings and Models

Now
Youll use proportions with scale drawings.

WHY?

You learned how to solve proportions.

So you can find wingspans of airplanes, as in Exs. 1215.

Word Watch
scale drawing, p. 400 scale, p. 400 scale model, p. 401

The floor plan at the right is an example of a scale drawing. A scale drawing is a diagram of an object in which the dimensions are in proportion to the actual dimensions of the object. The scale on a scale drawing tells how the drawings dimensions and the actual dimensions are related. The scale 1 in. : 12 ft means that 1 inch in the floor plan represents an actual distance of 12 feet.

1 in. : 12 ft

Family room Kitchen

Living room

Dining room

EXAMPLE

Using the Scale of a Map

Maps Use the map of Maine to estimate the distance between the towns of China and New Sweden.
Solution From the maps scale, 1 centimeter represents 65 kilometers. On the map, the distance between China and New Sweden is 4.5 centimeters. with
New Sweden

Review

Need help with writing a proportion? See p. 388.

Write and solve a proportion to find the distance d between the towns.
1 4.5 65 d

MAINE Marshfield China Augusta

centimeters kilometers

Paris

1 p d 65 p 4.5 d 292.5 ANSWER The actual distance between China and New Sweden is about 293 kilometers.

1 cm : 65 km

Your turn now

Use a metric ruler and the map in Example 1.

1. Estimate the distance, in kilometers, between the towns of Paris

and Marshfield.

400

Chapter 8

Ratios and Proportions

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with

Solving

When a scale is written as a ratio, it usually takes the form shown below. scale model : actual object

Scale Models A scale model is a model of an object in which the dimensions are in proportion to the actual dimensions of the object. The scale of a scale model is often given as a ratio. The two scales listed below are equivalent.
Scale with units Scale without units

1 in. : 4 ft

1 : 48

Express 4 ft as 48 in.

EXAMPLE

Finding a Dimension on a Scale Model

White House A scale model of the White House appears in Tobu World Square in Japan. The scale used is 1 : 25. The height of the main building of the White House is 85 feet. Find this height on the model.
Solution Write and solve a proportion to find the height h of the main building of the model of the White House.
1 h 25 85

scale model building Cross products property Divide each side by 25.

1 p 85 25 p h 3.4 h

ANSWER The height of the main building of the model is 3.4 feet.

EXAMPLE

Finding the Scale

Dinosaurs A museum is creating a full-size Tyrannosaurus rex from a model. The model is 40 inches in length, from the nose to the tail. The resulting dinosaur will be 40 feet in length. What is the models scale?
Solution Write a ratio. Make sure that both measures are in inches. Then simplify the fraction.
40 in. 1 40 in. 480 in. 12 40 ft

scale model full size

ANSWER The models scale is 1 : 12.

Tyrannosaurus rex

Your turn now

Use the scale in Example 2.

2. The model of the Eiffel Tower in Tobu World Square is 12 meters

high. Estimate the height of the actual Eiffel Tower.

Lesson 8.6

Scale Drawings and Models

401

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Exercises
More Practice, p. 712

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Getting Ready to Practice

the actual dimensions are related.

different shapes.

In Exercises 36, the scale on a floor plan is 1 in. : 15 ft. Match the distance on the floor plan with the actual distance.
3. 2 in. A. 33 ft 4. 3.5 in. B. 30 ft 5. 2.2 in. C. 24 ft 6. 1.6 in. D. 52.5 ft

7. Miniature Furniture A craftsman makes miniature replicas of Victorian

furniture. The scale model of a table that he made is 3 inches long. The full-size table is 36 inches long. What is the models scale?

Practice and Problem Solving

Homework

Exercises 811 1215, 17, 21 16

Maps The scale on a map is 1 cm : 25 mi. Find the actual distance in miles for the given length on the map.
8. 3 cm 9. 10 cm 10. 5.2 cm 11. 8.7 cm

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Model Airplanes The scale used to build the scale models of four airplanes is 1 : 72. Estimate the actual wingspan of the airplane given the wingspan of the model.
12. Kitty Hawk: 17.1 cm 14. Boeing 747: 82.8 cm 13. Spirit of St. Louis: 19.4 cm 15. Boeing B-17: 43.9 cm

More Examples eTutorial Plus

Mural In Exercises 16 and 17, an artist is painting a mural from a scale drawing of the mural. The scale drawing is 8 inches wide. When the mural is complete, it will be 4 feet wide.
16. What is the drawings scale? 17. The length of the scale drawing is 10 inches. How long will the mural be

when it is complete?
18. Explain A basketball court is 84 feet long and 50 feet wide. You want to

make a scale drawing of the court on a piece of paper that is 11 inches long and 8.5 inches wide. What scale should you use? Explain your choice.
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Chapter 8 Ratios and Proportions

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19. Writing What does it mean if a drawing is not to scale? 20. Critical Thinking A models scale is 1 : 0.2. Is the scale model larger

or smaller than the original object? Explain.

normal bowling pin. The models scale is 1 : 0.05. If the height of a normal bowling pin is 38 centimeters, estimate the height of a bowling pin in the model.
22. Timeline The table lists six

Flying Pins by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen

recent U.S. Presidents and their years in office. Make a timeline showing the length of each Presidents term. Use the scale 1 centimeter : 2 years.
23. Challenge A scale drawing of a

President Richard Nixon Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan George H. Bush Bill Clinton

Years in Office 19691974 19741977 19771981 19811989 19891993 19932001

rectangular garden has a length of 5 inches and a width of 3.5 inches. If the scale is 1 in. : 3 ft, what is the area of the actual garden?

Mixed Review
Write the decimal as a fraction or mixed number. (Lesson 4.7)
24. 0.6 25. 0.28 26. 1.75 27. 5.025

c 5 28. Use the cross products property to solve the proportion . 28 4

(Lesson 8.5)

Basic Skills Round the decimal as specified.

Test-Taking Practice
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31. Multiple Choice You decide to use a scale of 1 in. : 8 ft to make a scale

State Test Practice

drawing of your classroom. If the actual length of your classroom is 36 feet, what should the length of the classroom in the drawing be? A. 1 in. B. 4.5 in. C. 36 in. D. 288 in.

32. Multiple Choice A childs picnic table is a scale model of an adult

picnic table. The childs picnic table is 22 inches tall, and the adult picnic table is 33 inches tall. What is the models scale? F. 1: 22 G. 1 : 15 H. 1 : 1.5 I. 1 : 1

Lesson 8.6

Scale Drawings and Models

403