Question

oscar has a map of the campground where he is staying. the scale shows that 4 inches on the map represents an actual distance of 2 miles. oscars tent is at campsite 4a. what number can you multiply each length on the map by to find the actual distance? ?

Explanation:

Step1: Convert miles to inches

1 mile = 5280 feet and 1 foot = 12 inches, so 1 mile = 5280×12 = 63360 inches. Then 2 miles = 2×63360 = 126720 inches.

Step2: Find the conversion factor

The scale is 4 inches on the map represents 126720 inches in actual. The conversion factor is $\frac{126720}{4}=31680$ inches per inch on the map. Or in terms of miles per inch, since 2 miles are represented by 4 inches, the conversion factor is $\frac{2}{4}=0.5$ miles per inch.

Answer:

0.5 (in miles per inch)