Explore how to use map scales, and understand how maps are made at different scales for different purposes with BBC Bitesize Maths. For students between the ages of 11 and 14.

The scale on a map shows how much bigger a real-life distance is compared to the measurement on the map. Map scales are written as either a key (for example 1 cm represents 4 km) ...

Mapping involves measuring angles and distances. Without any rulers, we first needed to define some unit of measurement for length. We could have just used some arbitrary unit, such as an arm ...

In this map, a scale bar is used that is set in astronomical units (AU) — the average distance between the Earth and our sun (about 93 million miles or 150 million kilometers).

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. IT PUZZLES ME WHY SO MANY TOURIST MAPS HAVE NO ATTACHED SCALE. WHETHER IT'S A CITY'S STREETS OR A REGIONAL MAP WHERE YOU WANT TO ...

Because some of the island's Northern coastline is inaccessible, we needed another way to measure the parts we couldn't visit. This is where trigonometry comes in. First, you mark out a baseline ...