Question

Alan is making a model building out of sticks. The scale of his building is 1 inch: 400 ft. If the actual length of the building is 1320 ft., what is the length of the model?

Answer 1

3.3 inches.

Explanation:

We know that the scale of his building is 1 inch for every 400 ft.

And we also know that the actual length of the building is 1320 feet.

So, we can write the following proportion, with x being our unknown model length:

`(x)/(1320)=(1)/(400)`

Note the the lengths line up horizontally. The numerator is all the model lengths, while the denominator is the actual lengths.

Solve for x. Cross multiply:

`1320=400x`

Divide both sides by 400:

`x=3.3`

Therefore, the length of the model is 3.3 inches.

And we're done!