Find the actual length of a wall on a map with scale 1:25000

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the actual length of a wall represented on a map with a scale of 1:25000. A wall measuring 3.2 mm on the map corresponds to an actual length of 80 meters on the ground. The calculation involves setting up a proportion based on the scale, where each millimeter on the map equals 25 meters in reality. The final conversion from millimeters to meters confirms the correct length as 80 meters, correcting an earlier typo regarding centimeters.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of map scales, specifically 1:25000
  • Basic algebra for setting up proportions
  • Knowledge of unit conversion from millimeters to meters
  • Familiarity with mathematical notation and equations
NEXT STEPS
  • Research how to interpret different map scales, such as 1:50000 or 1:10000
  • Learn about unit conversions between metric measurements
  • Explore practical applications of map reading in real-world scenarios
  • Study proportional reasoning in mathematics for solving similar problems
USEFUL FOR

Students studying geography, mathematics educators, and anyone involved in cartography or land measurement will benefit from this discussion.

tehmatriks
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Homework Statement


The scale on a map is 1:25000. The length of a wall on the map is 3.2 mm. Find the actual length in metres.

Homework Equations


The Attempt at a Solution

 
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EDIT: Fixed momentary lapse of brain.
Each 1 mm distance on the map represents 25,000 mm (= 25 meters) on the ground. If the length of some feature on the map happened to be 10 mm, you would set up a proportion like this, where x represents the actual length of the feature, in mm.

\frac{1}{25000}=\frac{10}{x}

After solving for x in this equation, convert to meters.
 
Last edited:


Mark44 said:
Each 1 mm distance on the map represents 25,000 mm (= 2.5 meters) on the ground. If the length of some feature on the map happened to be 10 mm, you would set up a proportion like this, where x represents the actual length of the feature, in mm.

\frac{1}{25000}=\frac{10}{x}

After solving for x in this equation, convert to meters.

25,000 x 3.2 = 80,000 x 10-3 = 80 cm
 


Mark44 said:
25,000 mm (= 2.5 meters)
Either a typo or a brain fart, 25m :-p

tehmatriks said:
25,000 x 3.2 = 80,000 x 10-3 = 80 cm
It shouldn't be cm.
25,000 x 3.2 mm = 80,000 mm = 80,000 x 10-3 m = 80 m
 


yea, that was a typo

thanks fellas, I've just gotten to this chapter and the examples always leave out the good stuff, so many thanks.
 


Mentallic said:
Either a typo or a brain fart, 25m :-p
Unfortunately, the latter. It looked odd to me, but I still didn't catch it.
Mentallic said:
It shouldn't be cm.
25,000 x 3.2 mm = 80,000 mm = 80,000 x 10-3 m = 80 m
 

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