A scale drawing is a drawing in which all parts of the drawing are reduced or enlarged by the same scale factor. A scale is a ratio that compares the measurements used in the drawing and the actual measurements.
Example 1: picture height actual height = 1 cm 3 in = 2 cm ? in The scale of the picture is 1 cm. : 3 in. What is the actual height of the cup? The scale tells us that every centimeter = 3 inches picture height actual height = 1 cm 3 in = 2 cm ? in The actual height is 6 in.
Example 2: picture height actual height = 1 in 10 cm = 3 in ? cm The scale of the picture is 1 in. : 10 cm. What is the actual height of the penguin? The scale tells us that every inch = 10 centimeter picture height actual height = 1 in 10 cm = 3 in ? cm The actual height is 30 cm.
Practice A scale drawing has a scale of 3 inches : 10 feet. Find the actual length when the drawing length is the following measurements: 1. 21 inches 4. 45 inches 2. 15 inches 5. 13.5 inches 3. 6 inches 6. 1.5 inches