Question - Calculating Actual Distance from Map Scale

Let the scale factor be \( s \), where \( s \) miles in reality are represented by 1 cm on the map.

Now let’s assume the actual distance between the two cities is \( x \) miles.

According to the scale, we have:

\[ \frac{x \text{ miles (actual distance)}}{3.5 \text{ cm (map distance)}} = s \frac{\text{miles}}{\text{cm}} \]

To solve for \( x \), multiply both sides by 3.5 cm:

\[ x = 3.5 \cdot s \]

The problem lacks the scale factor \( s \), so we cannot proceed further without this information. Without knowing the scale of the map, we cannot convert 3.5 centimeters to the actual distance in miles.

Therefore, we'll need additional information to provide a numerical solution.