The dimensions of a blackboard are 9/10 of a meter by 7/10 of a meter. In a drawing of the blackboard shown, 1/2

of an inch represents 2 meters.What is the unit rate of area in square meters of the blackboard per square inch of area in the drawing?

1 answer

To find the unit rate of area in square meters of the blackboard per square inch of area in the drawing, we need to follow a few steps:

  1. Calculate the area of the blackboard in square meters:

    The dimensions of the blackboard are: \[ \text{Length} = \frac{9}{10} \text{ meters} \quad \text{and} \quad \text{Width} = \frac{7}{10} \text{ meters} \]

    The area \( A \) is given by: \[ A = \text{Length} \times \text{Width} = \frac{9}{10} \times \frac{7}{10} = \frac{63}{100} \text{ square meters} \]

  2. Convert the area of the blackboard into square inches in the drawing:

    According to the problem, \( \frac{1}{2} \) inch in the drawing represents \( 2 \) meters. Therefore: \[ 1 \text{ inch} = 2 \times 2 = 4 \text{ meters} \]

    To find how many inches represent the dimensions of the blackboard:

    • For the length \( \frac{9}{10} \) meters: \[ \frac{9/10 \text{ meters}}{4 \text{ meters/inch}} = \frac{9}{40} \text{ inches} \]
    • For the width \( \frac{7}{10} \) meters: \[ \frac{7/10 \text{ meters}}{4 \text{ meters/inch}} = \frac{7}{40} \text{ inches} \]
  3. Calculate the area of the blackboard in square inches in the drawing:

    The area in square inches is: \[ A_{\text{inches}} = \left( \frac{9}{40} \times \frac{7}{40} \right) \text{ square inches} = \frac{63}{1600} \text{ square inches} \]

  4. Compute the unit rate of area in square meters of the blackboard per square inch of area in the drawing:

    We want to find: \[ \text{unit rate} = \frac{\text{area of blackboard in square meters}}{\text{area of drawing in square inches}} = \frac{\frac{63}{100} \text{ square meters}}{\frac{63}{1600} \text{ square inches}} \]

  5. Simplify the unit rate:

    \[ \text{unit rate} = \frac{63}{100} \times \frac{1600}{63} = \frac{1600}{100} = 16 \text{ square meters per square inch} \]

Thus, the unit rate of area in square meters of the blackboard per square inch of area in the drawing is \(\boxed{16}\).