Transum Software

Map Scales

Test your understanding of map scales expressed as ratios with this self marking quiz.

Level 1 Level 2 Exam-Style Description Help Ratio Measures

This is level 1: straight-forward questions about map scales expressed as ratios You can earn a trophy if you get at least 7 questions correct and you do this activity online.

1. A map scale is give as 1:10000
What is the real distance between two points 30cm apart on the map?
Give your answer in kilometres.

km Correct Wrong

2. A different map has a scale of 1:50000
What is the real distance in kilometres between a church and a lake 16cm apart on the map?

km Correct Wrong

3. A rambling club use a map with a scale of 1:25000 to plan a Sunday morning hike. Using a piece of string they measure their route to be 12cm. What is the actual distance (in kilometers) of the hike?

km Correct Wrong

4. On a map of scale 1:100 000 the distance between Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London is 7.4cm. What is the actual distance in kilometers?

km Correct Wrong

5. How many metres long is flower garden if it is 15.2cm long on a 1:5000 scale map?

m Correct Wrong

6. The distance between Wolverhampton and Stafford is 27 kilometers. How far apart (in centimetres) will they be on a 1:50000 map?

cm Correct Wrong

7. The distance between Southampton and Eastleigh is 7.5 kilometers. How far apart (in centimetres) will they be on a 1:25000 map?

cm Correct Wrong

8. The distance between Bangkok and Tokyo is 14.5 cm on a 1:25 000 000 scale map of the world*. Using this fact calculate the actual distance in kilometers.

km Correct Wrong

9. The actual distance between Singapore and Sydney is 6302 kilometers. Calculate the distance between these two cities in centimetres, to the nearest centimetre, that should represent this distance on the 1:25 000 000 scale map of the world*.

cm Correct Wrong

10. A cycling club use a map with a scale of 1:25000 to plan a Sunday afternoon ride. They measure the route to be 128cm long.
Ryder Spoke takes part in the afternoon ride but has a puncture after 26km and decides to walk (pushing his bike) for the remaining section of the route. How far (in kilometers) does Ryder push his bike?

km Correct Wrong
Check

* Questions involving the map of the world do not take into account the curvature of the earth. That's a little too advanced for this exercise on map scales!

Instructions

Try your best to answer the questions above. Type your answers into the boxes provided leaving no spaces. As you work through the exercise regularly click the "check" button. If you have any wrong answers, do your best to do corrections but if there is anything you don't understand, please ask your teacher for help.

When you have got all of the questions correct you may want to print out this page and paste it into your exercise book. If you keep your work in an ePortfolio you could take a screen shot of your answers and paste that into your Maths file.

Why am I learning this?

Mathematicians are not the people who find Maths easy; they are the people who enjoy how mystifying, puzzling and hard it is. Are you a mathematician?

Comment recorded on the 14 September 'Starter of the Day' page by Trish Bailey, Kingstone School:

"This is a great memory aid which could be used for formulae or key facts etc - in any subject area. The PICTURE is such an aid to remembering where each number or group of numbers is - my pupils love it!
Thanks"

Comment recorded on the 16 March 'Starter of the Day' page by Mrs A Milton, Ysgol Ardudwy:

"I have used your starters for 3 years now and would not have a lesson without one! Fantastic way to engage the pupils at the start of a lesson."

Each month a newsletter is published containing details of the new additions to the Transum website and a new puzzle of the month.

The newsletter is then duplicated as a podcast which is available on the major delivery networks. You can listen to the podcast while you are commuting, exercising or relaxing.

Transum breaking news is available on Twitter @Transum and if that's not enough there is also a Transum Facebook page.

Featured Activity

Tower of Hanoi

Tower of Hanoi

Move the pieces of the tower from one place to another in the minimum number of moves. This puzzle was invented in 1883 but is still as captivating today as it was all those years ago.

Answers

There are answers to this exercise but they are available in this space to teachers, tutors and parents who have logged in to their Transum subscription on this computer.

A Transum subscription unlocks the answers to the online exercises, quizzes and puzzles. It also provides the teacher with access to quality external links on each of the Transum Topic pages and the facility to add to the collection themselves.

Subscribers can manage class lists, lesson plans and assessment data in the Class Admin application and have access to reports of the Transum Trophies earned by class members.

If you would like to enjoy ad-free access to the thousands of Transum resources, receive our monthly newsletter, unlock the printable worksheets and see our Maths Lesson Finishers then sign up for a subscription now:

Subscribe

Go Maths

Learning and understanding Mathematics, at every level, requires learner engagement. Mathematics is not a spectator sport. Sometimes traditional teaching fails to actively involve students. One way to address the problem is through the use of interactive activities and this web site provides many of those. The Go Maths page is an alphabetical list of free activities designed for students in Secondary/High school.

Maths Map

Are you looking for something specific? An exercise to supplement the topic you are studying at school at the moment perhaps. Navigate using our Maths Map to find exercises, puzzles and Maths lesson starters grouped by topic.

Teachers

If you found this activity useful don't forget to record it in your scheme of work or learning management system. The short URL, ready to be copied and pasted, is as follows:

Alternatively, if you use Google Classroom, all you have to do is click on the green icon below in order to add this activity to one of your classes.

It may be worth remembering that if Transum.org should go offline for whatever reason, there is a mirror site at Transum.info that contains most of the resources that are available here on Transum.org.

When planning to use technology in your lesson always have a plan B!

Do you have any comments? It is always useful to receive feedback and helps make this free resource even more useful for those learning Mathematics anywhere in the world. Click here to enter your comments.

Transum.org is a proud supporter of the kidSAFE Seal Program

© Transum Mathematics 1997-2024
Scan the QR code below to visit the online version of this activity.

This is a QR Code

https://www.Transum.org/go/?Num=738

The background of this page contains an OS data © Crown copyright map extract image.

Description of Levels

Close

Close

Level 1 - Straight-forward questions about map scales expressed as ratios

Level 2 - More complex questions including the calculation of areas.

Exam Style questions are in the style of GCSE or IB/A-level exam paper questions and worked solutions are available for Transum subscribers.

More on Ratio including lesson Starters, visual aids and investigations.

More on Measures including lesson Starters, visual aids and investigations.

Answers to this exercise are available lower down this page when you are logged in to your Transum account. If you don’t yet have a Transum subscription one can be very quickly set up if you are a teacher, tutor or parent.

Log in Sign up

Curriculum Reference

See the National Curriculum page for links to related online activities and resources.

Example

Don't wait until you have finished the exercise before you click on the 'Check' button. Click it often as you work through the questions to see if you are answering them correctly. You can double-click the 'Check' button to make it float at the bottom of your screen.

Answers to this exercise are available lower down this page when you are logged in to your Transum account. If you don’t yet have a Transum subscription one can be very quickly set up if you are a teacher, tutor or parent.

Log in Sign up

Close

Close