Question

5)a scale drawing of a school bus has a scale of $\frac{1}{2}$ inch to 5 feet. if the length of the bus is $4\frac{1}{2}$ inches on the scale drawing, what is the actual length of the bus?

Explanation:

Step1: Convert mixed - number to improper fraction

$4\frac{1}{2}=\frac{4\times2 + 1}{2}=\frac{9}{2}$ inches.

Step2: Set up proportion

Let $x$ be the actual length of the bus. The scale is $\frac{1}{2}$ inch to 5 feet, so we have the proportion $\frac{\frac{1}{2}}{5}=\frac{\frac{9}{2}}{x}$.

Step3: Cross - multiply

$\frac{1}{2}x = 5\times\frac{9}{2}$.

Step4: Solve for $x$

Multiply both sides by 2 to get $x = 5\times9=45$ feet.

Answer:

45 feet