Idea 20of 22Builds onScale a recipe up or down
A map scale is a ratio
How does a map tell you how far it really is?
Today you'll discover
- what the scale bar says
- how to measure the road
- how to turn centimetres into kilometres
Think firstScale: 1 cm on the map to 5 km
The road on the map is 4 cm long. How far is it for real?
Decide first, then press Next. Measure first, then use the scale.
A small map with Camp and Lake joined by a dashed road, and a scale bar: 1 cm to 5 km. Then a ruler under the road reads 4 cm. Then four copies of the 1 cm bar, each marked 5 km, slide along the road. Then the working: 4 cm on the map, 4 × 5 km = 20 km. The last step shows a trail map at 1 cm to 2 km.
See the whole ideathe big idea and the key word, in one place
The big idea
A map scale is a ratio: 1 cm on the map to a real distance.
Ontario mapsA road map of Ontario might use 1 cm to 10 km. A map of one town might use 1 cm to 1 km.
Easy to get wrongMeasure on the map with a ruler, in centimetres. The scale works only with the unit it names.
Key word
- map scale
- the ratio between a length on a map and the real distance it stands for, like 1 cm to 5 km
Ready to use it?
- Use a map scale to find a real distance.
- Measure a map length in centimetres.