On an aerial photograph, the surface of a pond appears as circular region of radius 7/16 inch. If a distance of 1 inch..

[BTGmoderatorLU]

Source: GMAT Paper Tests

On an aerial photograph, the surface of a pond appears as circular region of radius 7/16 inch. If a distance of 1 inch on the photograph corresponds to an actual distance of 2 miles, which of the following is the closest estimate of the actual surface area of the pond, in square miles?

A. 1.3
B. 2.4
C. 3.0
D. 3.8
E. 5.0

The OA is B

[Scott@TargetTestPrep]

Source: GMAT Paper Tests

On an aerial photograph, the surface of a pond appears as circular region of radius 7/16 inch. If a distance of 1 inch on the photograph corresponds to an actual distance of 2 miles, which of the following is the closest estimate of the actual surface area of the pond, in square miles?

A. 1.3
B. 2.4
C. 3.0
D. 3.8
E. 5.0

The OA is B

Solution:

We can create a proportion in which n is the radius of the pond in miles:

1/2 = (7/16)/n

n = 2(7/16)

n = 7/8

Thus, the area of the pond is (7/8)^2 x π. Recall that the fractional approximation of π is 22/7. Thus, we have:

(7/8)^2 x π ≈ 49/64 x 22/7 = 7/32 x 11/1 = 77/32 = 2 13/32 ≈ 2 12/30 = 2 2/5 = 2.4

Answer: B