The scale drawing of the rectangular classroom floor has dimensions of 8 inches by 5 inches. The actual length of the longer side of the floor is 32 feet. What is the actual are of the floor in square feet?

Question

A-40 ft
B-240ft
C-640ft
D-92160ft
Show your work for this problem.Be sure to show each step and explain using math vocabulary.

Answer 1

First, let's determine the scale factor by comparing the dimensions of the scale drawing to the actual dimensions.

Scale factor = Actual length / Length on the drawing
Scale factor = 32 ft / 8 inches
Scale factor = 48

Now, let's use the scale factor to find the actual width of the floor:
Actual width = Scale factor * Width on the drawing
Actual width = 48 * 5 inches
Actual width = 240 inches

Convert the actual width from inches to feet:
Actual width = 240 inches / 12 inches/ft
Actual width = 20 feet

Now, let's calculate the actual area of the floor:
Actual area = Actual length * Actual width
Actual area = 32 ft * 20 ft
Actual area = 640 square feet

Therefore, the actual area of the floor is 640 square feet, which is answer choice C.