What does a scale of 1:100,000 indicate in terms of real distance?

A scale of 1:100,000 indicates that 1 unit of measurement on the map (in this case, 1 cm) represents 100,000 of the same units in reality. To convert this into kilometers, you can break it down as follows:

Since there are 100 centimeters in a meter, this means:

• 1 cm on the map equals 100,000 cm in reality.

• To convert centimeters to kilometers, divide by 100,000 (because 1 km is 100,000 cm).

Therefore, when you do the math:

100,000 cm / 100,000 = 1 km.

This means that each centimeter on the map corresponds to a real distance of 1 kilometer in the real world, making the option that states 1 cm on the map equals 1 km in reality the correct answer. The other options misinterpret the scale conversion, leading to incorrect distances.