What is the distance from Magnolia to Zamma?

What is the distance from Magnolia to Zamma?

• A. 56 miles
• B. 102 miles
• C. 46 miles
• D. 26 miles

Answer: (C)

Distances on a map are read by using the scale and looking at the straight-line separation between the two points. The distance you want is the direct distance from Magnolia to Zamma, not any route distance, so you measure the horizontal and vertical differences on the map, form a right triangle, and use the Pythagorean theorem to get the map distance in grid units. Then you convert that distance to miles using the map’s scale (miles per grid unit or per inch). In this problem the horizontal and vertical separations on the map form a right triangle whose diagonal corresponds to a 5-unit stretch on the map. When you apply the map’s scale, that 5-unit diagonal translates to 46 miles. So the distance is 46 miles. If the question asked for a road distance, you’d follow roads instead of the straight line, which could be different.

Distances on a map are read by using the scale and looking at the straight-line separation between the two points. The distance you want is the direct distance from Magnolia to Zamma, not any route distance, so you measure the horizontal and vertical differences on the map, form a right triangle, and use the Pythagorean theorem to get the map distance in grid units. Then you convert that distance to miles using the map’s scale (miles per grid unit or per inch).

In this problem the horizontal and vertical separations on the map form a right triangle whose diagonal corresponds to a 5-unit stretch on the map. When you apply the map’s scale, that 5-unit diagonal translates to 46 miles. So the distance is 46 miles. If the question asked for a road distance, you’d follow roads instead of the straight line, which could be different.