Alternatively, you can scale by moving your cursor around. Without a road map, you'd be lost! This means that for every centimetre on the map, there are 50,000 centimetres (or 500 metres) in real life. Only use as many intermediate divisions are required. The scale of the map is the ratio between distance on map to corresponding distance on the ground. Since most map readers have some experience using a ruler, these are often easy for the reader to understand and use. Our quick guide to understanding map scales will help! Use a “one square equals one foot” scale on graph paper for simplicity. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. You can add and remove map scales by manually typing them or by clicking Add Current to add the current map scale to the list. For these maps it is useful to show a variable scale bar like the one shown below instead of a single scale bar. 1 cm ⇒ 20000 cm 3 cm ⇒ 20000 * … This is an advantage to using the bar scale. You might be using a map with no printed scale, or you've folded your map up into the map case and can't get to it easily. Compare map areas determined in this activity to areas from a previous activity. 2. Introducing 3D Viewer, a new Configurable App. The scale bar should be subtle and it should not attract the attention of the map reader – instead they should have to shift their attention in order to find it on the page. Two-dimensional area and specific purpose maps are used at things like theme parks, trail guides, tours, and other types of events where the exact distance is not as important to understand. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Graphic Scale . Please enter two values, the third will be calculated. The scale designates how many miles/kilometers are represented in a square inch/centimeter on the map. To use the map scale, start by using a ruler to see how long the line is. There are a number of predefined scale bars to choose from – after you select one, you can change many of its properties. If you don't know what direction you're traveling, look at the cities on either side of Westville and pay attention to which one you pass first, so you'll know which direction you're coming from. Relate map areas and lengths to a real-world situation. http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/manual/mapcompass2.shtml#Compass, http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/manual/mapcompass3.shtml#Scenarios, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Maps are described as either large scale or small scale. A drawing that is made according to scale will be an exact copy of the real object, but will be smaller or larger than the real object. If you maintain this bearing, your path from your current position will be along the line you just drew on your map. Because an accurate map represents a real area, each map has a "scale" that indicates the relationship between a certain distance on the map and the distance on the ground. These help us to work out distances on maps. Avoid making embarrassing mistakes on Zoom! You can create a scale by drawing a small ruler on the bottom that shows how much distance is portrayed in a small section of area. // Empty hash table whose keys are strings and values are integers: var A:Map[Char,Int] = Map() // A map with keys and values. Second, if the map is enlarged or reduced using some method of photocopying or screen display, the scale bar changes size in direct proportion to the physical size of the map. Just use a right-click anywhere on the map and it will prompt a pull-down list, which you can use to find directions to or from that location. When you add a scale bar, you assign it to a specific viewport and you specify its location. This takes the form of an approximate 1:n scale (containing 2-3 significant digits), above a distance gauge which is reasonably accurate for the latitude at which it appears. SCALE BAR. All map scale indicators can be used 1) to determine the extent to which a geographic region has been reduced from its actual size and 2) to help the map reader determine distance on the map. For example the verbal scale, 1″ = 100′ means that one inch measured the the map rep… These are easy to add to your map – simply click Insert on the top bar menu, then select Scale Bar. Learn how the map works. Map scale is the relationship between a unit of length on a map and the corresponding length on the ground. How-To Steps. A map that doesn’t conform to a specific scale will be indicated by the words “not to scale” (or NTS). A scale is added to the currently displayed map. If we resize a map that has a bar scale on it, the size of the bar scale will be resized with the map, and it will therefore remain accurate. What is a Scale Drawing? 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. Draw a line along the compass edge, through your current position. You may also add an inset map of a zoomed in or zoomed out portion to show the scale more accurately. Scale can also be represented verbally or in text format. Start by placing the top right corner of the Corner Ruler on the SW corner of the UTM grid that contains the feature. Choose The Right Scale. The Scale Bar Selector dialog is used to select and change the properties of the scale bar you want to insert on your map. For example, if someone normally works with maps at a scale of 1:1,500, they might consider 1:25,000 a small scale map while another person who normally works with maps at a scale of 1:1,000,000 might consider 1:20,000,000 a small scale map. On a phone or tablet, at the bottom of your map, tap Go . This is an advantage to using the bar scale. You should also take note of the map's scale to figure out the distance between two points. You can use a built-in scale bar or load a custom scale bar. If you don't have a scale ruler, a typical 8 in × 10.5 in (20 cm × 27 cm) sheet of graph paper with a grid of .25 in (0.64 cm) squares will work just fine. Calculate scale, distance on the map or real distance on Earth. Even if the location of interest is not specifically indicated on the variable scale bar, the reader can either visually or physically (by drawing it) add in a scale bar for the latitude as a horizontal line that is placed in the correct vertical position on the variable scale bar. What is a Scale Drawing? Even a GPS uses scale drawings! On maps showing the whole globe, the map scale may vary significantly from one part of the map to another. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 65,682 times. Scale bars, also called bar scales, look like a small ruler on or near the map. Preview a day's hike or bike ride through a nature park by examining a map. This simple concept is complicated by the curvature of the Earth's surface, which forces scale to vary across a map. If the line that you're trying to measure is quite curved, use a string to determine the distance, and then measure the string. You can then draw the line to the desired measurement using the scale … Each map will use different symbols in different ways, so it's important to always defer to a key. Note: It was once possible to do a Google Maps conversion to KML but it has become more complicated and involves the use of Google My Maps , a service which allows you to create custom location-based maps. Learning to differentiate between different types of maps will help you understand the basics of all of them, and help you navigate to where you need to go. This scale is used on the over 54,000 quadrangle maps covering the entire country. You can quickly tell whether a map is up to date by checking to see if it includes the world's newest countries. For example, if the map scale is 1:100000 that means 1 cm on map is equal to 100000 cm or 1 km on ground. An example: on a map with the scale 1:20000, 3 centimeters accord to 0.6 kilometers in reality. For example, if you can see on a sign that you're 20 miles from Westville, locate Westville on your map and you'll have a rough idea of where you are. Notes on Maps: Types and Uses of Map and Scale ! An extension scale which shows finer subdivisions of the scale bar allows for smaller distance measurements. Maps are now available in many forms, including on the Internet. Plan a trip by viewing highway maps. While these maps can be quite accurate, they're generally not drawn to scale. Turn your body so the north end of the magnetic needle is aligned with the orienting needle, and you'll be pointed in the right direction. ... At the far right you will see the map scale. Following on my previous blog entry, here are my recommendations for using representative fractions to indicate scale on maps. The scale bar is usually placed below the map, but this will depend on your page layout. A map scale can be printed in a variety of ways. Slide your compass so the edge of the edge passes through your current position, with the orienting arrow pointing due north. 1 inch on the map equals 24000 inches in the real world, which is the same as 2,000 feet. Demonstrate locations of potential projects for the community, such as new parks, parking lots or community centers. Use your new mark as the right tick mark and measure using the bar scale as normal. When resizing maps that use the number scale, it is important to know that the scale changes with the map. For either reference or thematic maps, if you think the map will be enlarged or reduced, you should include a scale bar so that the scale indication will remain accurate. Voters are often directed to their appropriate polling locations via precinct maps. In orienteering, the most common scale … Orient yourself to the map by looking at the direction each trail heads out from your position and choosing your route according to where you want to go. The geographic extent shown on a large scale map is small. The font used to label the scale bar should be some of the smallest type of the page. This is given by the scale statement (eg 1:25,000) and/or by showing a scale bar. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/ad\/Use-a-Map-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Use-a-Map-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/ad\/Use-a-Map-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid1334204-v4-728px-Use-a-Map-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"