A cross-section is constructed from a topographic map drawn at a horizontal scale of 1 : 5… — JAMB UTME

A cross-section is constructed from a topographic map drawn at a horizontal scale of $1 : 50\,000$ . If the vertical scale of the cross-section is set such that $1\text{ cm}$ represents $100\text{ m}$ of elevation, what is the vertical exaggeration of the cross-section?

Answer: 5

Answer

The vertical exaggeration of the cross-section is 5.

To find the vertical exaggeration, both scales must be in representative fraction format. The horizontal scale is

1 : 50\,000

. The vertical scale (

1\text{ cm}

100\text{ m}

) equals

1 : 10\,000

. Dividing the horizontal denominator (

50\,000

) by the vertical denominator (

10\,000

) gives a vertical exaggeration of 5.

Step-by-Step Solution

Convert the vertical scale to representative fraction form

Vertical Scale = 1 : 10,000

Both scales must be expressed as dimensionless ratios (RF) in matching units to determine vertical enlargement.

Divide the horizontal scale denominator by the vertical scale denominator

VE = 50,000 / 10,000 = 5

Vertical exaggeration quantifies how many times larger the vertical scale is compared to the horizontal scale.

Key Concept

Vertical Exaggeration in Topographic Profiles

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