The scale factor he used for his map was 1/800. Calvin drew a map of his neighborhood.Keep in mind that several problems may have more than one part.
Scale factors can be used to determine both scale and actual sizes or dimensions.
It differs because it does not give any specific units.Ī scale factor for a scale drawing might be 1/200, which means that the actual size is 200 times the drawing. It is a ratio that compares scale dimensions to actual dimension. Unit scales and proportions can be used to calculate actual distances from maps, drawings, or models.Īctual distances can be represented on maps, drawings, or models by using unit scales.Ī scale factor is somewhat like a unit scale. To represent a line 500 feet long, the unit scale would be used to draw a line 2(1/2) inches long.Ī line 4 inches long would represent an actual line of 800 feet.
The unit scale on a map may read 1/2 inch=100 feet. Neither value in a unit scale has to equal 1. Ratios can be written as fractions, with a colon or with the word “to.”Ī proportion is created when two ratios are found to be equivalent or equal.Ī unit rate is a comparison of two measurements, one of which has a value of 1.ĥ5 miles per hour, 55 miles/1 hour is a unit rate.Ī unit scale is a ratio that compares the dimensions of an actual object to the dimensions of a scale drawing or model that represents the actual object. Using Scale Factor to Find Actual Dimensions