1. **Problem:** The scale of a map is 1 : 250000. On the map, the distance between two towns is 8.2 cm. Work out the real-life distance between the two towns, giving your answer in km. 2. **Formula:** Real distance = Map distance \times Scale factor 3. **Calculation:** $$\text{Real distance} = 8.2 \text{ cm} \times 250000 = 2050000 \text{ cm}$$ 4. Convert cm to km: $$2050000 \text{ cm} = \frac{2050000}{100000} \text{ km} = 20.5 \text{ km}$$ 5. **Answer:** The real-life distance between the two towns is **20.5 km**. **Explanation:** The scale 1 : 250000 means 1 cm on the map represents 250000 cm in real life. Multiplying the map distance by the scale factor gives the real distance in cm, which we then convert to km by dividing by 100000 (since 100000 cm = 1 km).