Have you ever used a map? Some people use maps to guide them to unfamiliar places, and some people use them to learn about faraway lands; but maps are smaller versions of the real thing. Imagine if you unfolded a map of your hometown and it was as big as the town itself! It would be virtually unusable. That's why cartographers, or people who make maps, use map scale.
Map scale is the relationship between distance on the map and distance in real life. That means that distance on the map always has a constant ratio with distance on the ground. For instance, a map scale might say that 1 inch is equal to 1 mile, so if you measured from one point to another and it was 2 inches on the map, it would be 2 miles in real life.
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So how do you determine the scale on a map? The map scale can usually be found in one of the bottom corners of the map, and it looks like this:
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Most map scales provide the scale in both miles (abbreviated Mi) and kilometers (abbreviated Km). Miles are used in the United States, while kilometers are used in most other countries throughout the world. As you can see, each notch on the scale is 1 mile, and the entire length of the scale is 5 miles.
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Keep in mind that different scales can use different distance ratios. For instance, on a map of a small city, a half-inch might represent 5 miles, but a map of an entire country might use a half-inch to represent 100 miles. Every map is different depending on what it's showing, but as long as there's a scale, we can determine distance on the map.
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On the map of the country of Argentina, the map scale is in the bottom right corner, and it shows that one whole line length equals 400 miles, and half the line is 200 miles. To use the map scale, start by using a ruler to see how long the line is. In this case it is 1 inch, so 1 inch equals 400 miles. This will serve as a guide when measuring from one point to another.
Let's say you want to find the distance from San Carlos de Bariloche to Comodoro Rivadavia. Put one end of your ruler on the dot for San Carlos de Bariloche and extend the ruler to the dot for Comodoro Rivadavia. Make sure to use the dot as a marker, not the text. In this case, our ruler tells us the distance is 1 inch. Since 1 inch represents 400 miles, the distance from San Carlos de Bariloche to Comodoro Rivadavia is about 400 miles.
Here's a useful tip: if you don't have a ruler handy, you can mark a piece of paper or even use a piece of string to match the size of the line. Then you'll count how many times the piece of string or paper fit into the distance between the two dots.
Now, let's find the distance between Salta and Bueno Aires. With the end of the ruler on the dot for Salta and extending to the dot for Bueno Aires, we can see that the distance on the map is 2 inches, so we do the math: 2 x 400 = 800. It's about 800 miles from Salta to Bueno Aires.
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Map scale is the relationship between distance on the map and distance in real life; distance on the map always has a constant ratio with distance on the ground. The map scale can usually be found in one of the bottom corners of the map, and you can use a ruler to measure the length of the line and find the real-life distance.
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Pretend that you are a cartographer—someone who makes maps. Write about three to four sentences that explain to your map's users what a map scale is and why it is necessary for maps to have one.
Example: Explain that the map scale is used to represent distance—not weight!—and that it would be impossible to make a map with the distances between places true to life size.
Draw an example of map scale. Make sure that it represents miles and kilometers, with the appropriate abbreviations.
Tip: Refer to the sample map scale provided in the lesson under "Determining Map Scale."
Create a step-by-step guide that explains how to use a map scale. Start with the most basic steps, such as finding the map scale on a map. Also, make sure you include a step that explains how to use the map scale without a ruler.
Example: The first step should point out that a map scale is usually found near the bottom or in one of the corners of the map.
Practice using the map scale in the map of Argentina provided in the lesson. Do this three times with cities of your choosing. Write down the distances on a piece of paper.
Example: You first decide to find out the distance between San Juan and Necochea.
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