Question

use figure 8 to answer questions 21-25. elevations on the map are in meters. the r.f. of the map is 1:50000 meaning that 1 centimeter on the map equals 0.5 kilometers on the land.
figure 8: topographic map
c. if you walk from point a to point b, would the actual distance walked be less than, equal to, or greater than the distance you calculated in the previous question? why?

Explanation:

Topographic maps show horizontal distance between points, but the actual walking distance over terrain with elevation changes (like from point A to B on a hill) follows the slope of the land, which is a longer path than the straight-line horizontal distance calculated from the map.

Answer:

The actual distance walked would be greater than the calculated map distance. This is because the map measures horizontal straight-line distance, while walking from A to B requires traveling up and over the sloped terrain of the hill, which adds length to the path.