Question

The length of the highway is 2500 miles. If 1 inch represents 150 miles, what is the length of the highway on the map?

Answer 1

1 inch ----> 150 miles
x inches ----> 2500 miles

now it is soooo easy to form the proportion:
1/x = 150/2500
150x = 2500
x = 50/3 or 16 2/3

Answer 2

2500 miles * ( 1 inch / 150 miles) = 250/15 = 50/3 = 16.7 inches

Answer 3

You just saw how the mathematician does it and how the physicist does it :)

Answer 4

some wise guy once said:
Without math there would be no physics
without physics there would be no need for math

Answer 5

I remember taking physics in high school, and being amazed that the units could be included in the calculations, and they canceled just like numeric factors!

Answer 6

thankyou

Answer 7

And some very unusual units can be created, like in this question
1 inch/x inches = 150 miles/2500 miles
150x inchmiles = 2500 inchmiles
divide by inchmiles
150x = 2500

Answer 8

Yes, it helps when you have a whole string of them as we often do :)