Scale and maps
Lesson 4 of 9
Reading map scales
Objective. Convert between map distance and real distance.
The key idea
A scale of 1 : 50 000 means 1 cm on the map is 50 000 cm in reality, which is 500 m or 0.5 km.
Worked example
On a 1 : 25 000 map two towns are 6 cm apart. Real distance?
- 16 × 25 000 = 150 000 cm.
- 2150 000 cm = 1500 m.
- 31500 m = 1.5 km.
Answer: 1.5 km
Practice
Each question comes with a picture and a listen button. Try it first, then reveal the answer.
Common mistake. Forgetting to convert centimetres to metres and kilometres.
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