Properties of Circles
Wheels in Motion
Graphing Ratios
Scale Drawings
Putting it Together
Proportions as Ratio
Inverse Proportion
Ohm's Law

Student CopyTeacher Copy

Scale Drawings
(Student Copy)

Activity  9:  Road and City Maps


  •  Indiana state map
  •  local city map
  •  12-inch rulers
  •  graph paper (4 squares to the inch preferred)
Part A

You are considering taking a little car trip and need to know how far you will be driving.  Use the index on a map of Indiana to find the towns of Scottsburg and Memphis.  You want to determine the driving distance between Scottsburg and Memphis via I-65.  On the maps, locate the legend showing the scale of miles and answer the following questions.

How many inches represent 5 miles?   inches
How many miles are represented by 1 inch on the map?  miles
How many inches from Scottsburg to Memphis?   inches
How many miles from Scottsburg to Memphis?  miles

You are also considering a trip from Bedford east to Uniontown, south to Henryville, west to Paoli, then north back to Bedford.  Find the towns on the map and notice that the path you would follow is almost a rectangle.

What is the perimeter of this region?   inches
What is the distance from Bedford to Uniontown?   miles
Without measuring, estimate the distance for the entire trip. miles
Compute the distance for the entire trip.   miles

Part B Take a map of your city and locate your home, school, and two other points of interest.  Use the scale on the map to answer the following questions.  First, determine the distance using the route you would normally take to get from your home to each of these places.  Then determine the distance by helicopter.

How far is it from your home to school?  miles

  by helicopter?  miles

 Name one of the sites you selected. 

 How far is it from your home to this site?  miles

  by helicopter?  miles

 Name the other site you selected. 

 How far is it from your home to this site?  miles

  by helicopter?  miles

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Area 10 Mathematics and Technology Professional Development Center
Permission is granted to duplicate these materials for classroom use.

Last updated on 1/30/1999
Comments: egalindo@indiana.edu