The length between two points on a topographical map is 5m. What is the actual distance between them if the scale of the map is 1:50000?
Answer Details
To find the actual distance between two points on a topographical map, we need to use the map scale. The map scale tells us the relationship between the distance on the map and the actual distance on the ground.
In this case, the scale of the map is 1:50000, which means that one unit of distance on the map represents 50,000 units of distance on the ground. To find the actual distance between the two points on the ground, we need to multiply the distance on the map by the scale factor:
Actual distance = Distance on map x Scale factor
In this case, the distance on the map is given as 5m. So, we can substitute this value into the formula:
Actual distance = 5m x 50000 = 250000m
Therefore, the actual distance between the two points is 250000m or 2.5 kilometers.