A scale drawing of a school bus has a scale of 1/2 inch to `5` feet. If the length of the school bus is `4` inches on the scale drawing, what is the actual length of the bus?          Explain why the actual length of the bus is 40 feet

To solve this problem, we need to use the scale of the drawing to find the actual length of the school bus.

### Given:
- Scale: \( \frac{1}{2} \) inch represents 5 feet.
- Length of the bus in the drawing: 4 inches.

### Solution:
1. **Understand the Scale**: 
   - The scale means that every \( \frac{1}{2} \) inch on the drawing corresponds to 5 feet in real life.

2. **Determine the Number of Half-Inches in 4 Inches**:
   - If each \( \frac{1}{2} \) inch represents 5 feet, we need to find how many \( \frac{1}{2} \) inches are there in 4 inches.
   - To find this, divide 4 inches by \( \frac{1}{2} \):
     \[
     \frac{4}{\frac{1}{2}} = 4 \times 2 = 8
     \]
   - So, there are 8 half-inch segments in 4 inches.

3. **Calculate the Actual Length**:
   - Since each \( \frac{1}{2} \) inch corresponds to 5 feet, and there are 8 of these \( \frac{1}{2} \) inch segments in 4 inches, multiply 8 by 5:
     \[
     8 \times 5 = 40 \text{ feet}
     \]

### Explanation:
The actual length of the school bus is 40 feet because the scale drawing ratio tells us that each \( \frac{1}{2} \) inch corresponds to 5 feet in reality. Since 4 inches is equal to 8 segments of \( \frac{1}{2} \) inch, multiplying 8 by 5 feet gives us the actual length of 40 feet.

Would you like more details or have any questions?

Here are some related questions:
1. What is the formula to convert a length from a scale drawing to real life?
2. How would the scale change if 1 inch represented 10 feet instead?
3. If a different object in the same scale drawing is 3 inches long, what is its real-life length?
4. What if the scale was \( \frac{1}{4} \) inch to 5 feet—how would that affect the calculation?
5. How do you convert feet to inches for measurements like this?

**Tip:** When working with scale drawings, always ensure you understand the scale ratio and convert measurements consistently.

A scale drawing of a school bus has a scale of 1/2 inch to 5 feet. If the length of the school bus is 4 inches on the scale drawing, what is the actual length of the bus? Explain why the actual length of the bus is 40 feet.

Learn how to calculate the actual length of a school bus from a scale drawing using the ratio 1/2 inch to 5 feet. This detailed explanation covers scaling, proportions, and step-by-step reasoning. Suitable for students in Grades 6-8.

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