Question

a microscopic organism is shown in a Biology book with a length of 5.6 centimeters. If the scale of the picture is 2000:1, find the actual length of the organism.

Answer 1

Assuming that 2000:1 is a ratio of unknown units to centimeters, we can use proportions to find the actual length of the organism.

$\frac{2000}{1} = \frac{x}{5.6}$

x = 2000(5.6)

x = 11200

The actual length of the organism is 11,200 units.