The scale of the map will be: 50 miles = 1 inch or 50 : 1
Explanation
Actual area of the Mojave desert is 25,000 square miles and the scale drawing has an area of 10 square inches.
Suppose, the scale of the map is: [tex]x[/tex] miles = 1 inch
So, 1 square inches = [tex]x^2[/tex] square miles
and 10 square inches = [tex]10x^2[/tex] square miles
So, the equation will be .....
[tex]10x^2=25000\\ \\ x^2= 2500\\ \\ x=\sqrt{2500}=50[/tex]
Thus, the scale of the map will be: 50 miles = 1 inch or 50 : 1
