Scale on the map
You learn to work out how far something is in real life using the scale of a map.
How to work it out
- Read the scale: at 1 : 500, 1 cm on the map is 500 cm in reality.
- Work that out in metres: 500 cm is 5 m.
- Multiply that by the number of cm on the map.
1
4
500
2000
A worked example
The scale is 1:500. On the map it is 4 cm. How many metres is that in real life?
- Read the scale: 1 cm is 500 cm in real life.
- Convert to metres: 500 cm is 5 m.
- Multiply by 4: 4 × 5 = 20.
- It is 20 m.
More examples
The scale is 1:1,000. On the map it is 6 cm. How many metres is that in real life?
- Read the scale: 1 cm is 1,000 cm in real life.
- Convert to metres: 1,000 cm is 10 m.
- Multiply by 6: 6 × 10 = 60.
- It is 60 m.
1
6
1
6
The scale is 1:25,000. On the map it is 8 cm. How many metres is that in real life?
- Read the scale: 1 cm is 25,000 cm in real life.
- Convert to metres: 25,000 cm is 250 m.
- Multiply by 8: 8 × 250 = 2,000.
- It is 2,000 m, and that is 2 km.
1
8
25
200
Watch out
You forget to convert to metres: 4 × 500 = 2000, so you write 2000 m.
The scale is in cm. Divide by 100 to go from cm to m: 500 cm is 5 m.
You divide instead of multiplying.
In real life everything is bigger than on the map. Your answer must be a much bigger number.
Tips
- In real life everything is bigger than on the map, so your answer is a bigger number.
Why it works
A map is a scaled-down picture. The scale 1:500 says that everything is 500 times as big in real life. One cm on the map is 500 cm, and that is 5 m.