Map scales

Ratios are useful for map scales.

Example question:

The scale of a map is 1:50,000. What distance on the map represents 2km?

First, convert 2km to cm. 2km = 2,000,00 cm

All we do next is 2,000,00\div50,000 = 4cm

This means that 2km = 4cm on the map.