Mathematics scale

A scale describes a relationship between corresponding measurements. In a scale drawing, it tells you how a length on the drawing relates to the real length. The relationship must use clearly identified units.

Meaning and context

At a scale of 1:100, one unit on the drawing represents one hundred of the same units in reality. Thus one centimeter on the drawing represents one hundred centimeters, or one meter, in the represented object.

Examples and usage

A wall drawn as 4 cm at that scale represents 4 m. Check the units before multiplying or dividing. If a drawing is resized, the printed scale label may no longer match a ruler measurement of the new copy.

What to check

Lengths scale linearly, but areas scale by the square of the length factor and volumes by its cube. A model twice as long in every dimension has four times the area and eight times the volume. Identify which quantity the task asks you to compare.

Explore more: Math and Measurement