Maps often have a grid of numbered lines. The grid helps us give the exact place of anything, like a treasure spot in a game.
Reading a 4-figure grid reference
The grid has lines that go up-and-down and lines that go left-and-right. The numbers along the bottom count the up-and-down lines. The numbers up the side count the left-and-right lines.
The golden rule is: along the corridor, then up the stairs. First read the number going ACROSS (along), then read the number going UP.
Put these steps for reading a grid reference in order:
- Find the number along the bottom
- Find the number up the side
- Write the along number first, then the up number
What is scale?
A real place is far too big to draw at its true size, so a map is made much smaller. Scale tells us how much smaller — a small map stands for a big place.
| On the map | In the real world |
|---|---|
| 1 centimetre | 1 kilometre |
| 2 centimetres | 2 kilometres |
| 5 centimetres | 5 kilometres |
In this example, every 1 cm on the map stands for 1 km in real life. So a road that measures 3 cm on the map is really 3 km long.
Measuring a short distance
To measure a distance, place a ruler on the map between the two places and read how many centimetres apart they are. Then use the scale to work out the real distance.