Drag a ruler across an invented island and see how far it is in real life. Learn map scales, plan trips, draw a room to scale, solve missions and beat the clock.
Start here. A map is a small picture of a big place. The scale tells you how far in real life 1 cm on the map stands for. If the scale is 1 cm = 5 km, a road that measures 4 cm on the map is 4 × 5 = 20 km long.
Map to real life: multiply. Measure the map with a ruler, then multiply by what 1 cm stands for. Real life to map: divide. If two towns are really 35 km apart, they are 35 ÷ 5 = 7 cm apart on the map.
Squares. On a grid map every square can stand for the same distance, like 1 square = 1 km. Count the squares between two towns and you have the distance in km. If 1 square = 2 km, count the squares and double.
Routes. Roads join towns. To find a trip, add up the road pieces. Two different routes between the same towns can have different lengths, so the shorter way is not always the one with fewer turns.
Ratio scales. A scale like 1 : 50 000 means 1 cm on the map is 50 000 cm in real life. There are 100 cm in 1 m, so 50 000 cm = 500 m. Then 4 cm on the map is 4 × 500 m = 2000 m = 2 km.
Scale drawings. A plan of a room works the same way. If 1 cm = 50 cm, a 200 cm sofa is drawn 200 ÷ 50 = 4 cm long. To fit a room on a piece of paper, pick the scale that makes the drawing as big as possible while it still fits.
Try this above. In Play, drag the yellow handle from one town to another. Watch the ruler cm and the real distance change together. Then change the scale and see the same ruler stand for a different distance.
The island and all its towns are invented, so you will not find them on a real map.
It is the rule that links a distance on the map to a distance in real life. It can be written as words (1 cm = 5 km), as squares (1 square = 1 km) or as a ratio (1 : 50 000).
Yes. 1 : 50 000 means 1 cm on the map stands for 50 000 cm. Change 50 000 cm into metres by dividing by 100, and you get 500 m. So both ways of writing it mean the same thing.
If you know the map distance and want the real distance, multiply by the scale. If you know the real distance and want the map distance, divide by the scale.
1 : 100 000 squeezes the real world much more than 1 : 10 000. On the same paper, 1 : 100 000 shows a far bigger area but with less detail.
"Just starting" counts squares and follows roads. "I know the basics" uses a cm ruler with scales like 1 cm = 5 km. "Challenge me" uses ratio scales like 1 : 50 000, room plans and choosing a scale for a piece of paper.
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