Question

You originally draw a design for an art contest on a 3 in. x 5 in. card. The second phase of the contest requires the drawing to be transferred to an 8.5 in x 11 in. standard sheet of paper and utilize as much of the space on the paper as possible. You determine that the largest size one of the dimensions of your drawing can be is 10.5 in. What is the length of the other dimension if the two drawings are similar? Type your exact answer in the blank without the units, and round to the nearest tenths.

Answer 1

Set up an equality with proportional relations:

x/10.5=3/5  multiply both sides by 10.5

x=31.5/5

x=6.3

Answer 2

So for a 3 by 5 to be enlarged to where one side is 10.5, it must have been multiplied by 2.1 or it won't fit onto the new paper. So you multiply the other number, 3, by 2.1 and get the answer 6.3