The objects in your tabletop town do not shrink when you draw them. You choose smaller marks and shorter drawn distances. A map is a model of a place, not the place itself.

Scale tells you how a map distance relates to a distance in the place. If you use one pencil-length gap for each building space, your drawing needs a rule for that gap too. Keep the same rule across the plan.

A scale bar is a marked line that shows a distance. A symbol is a mark that stands for something, such as a building or path. A legend explains the symbols. A small square might stand for a whole building. Its shape alone will not tell another person what you meant. Your map needs enough explanation for someone else to use it.

Imagine fitting your room on a page. You can show the door and a few pieces of furniture. Now imagine fitting the whole town on that same page. Each room becomes too small to show separately.

Mapmakers choose detail to suit the area and the purpose. A street map may show individual roads. A map of a much larger region may show only major routes and towns. A missing small road is not proof the road does not exist.

A larger-scale map represents features at a larger size and often shows a smaller area with more detail. A smaller-scale map fits a wider area. These names describe the representation, not just how big the sheet of paper is. Compare what your two drawings include before deciding which is more useful.

together · About 10 minutes; untested estimate.

You need

• Three large boxes or folded paper buildings
• Pencil
• Two sheets of paper

Try it

1. Arrange buildings along a line with one pencil-length gap between each.
2. Draw a plan using a wide thumb-width gap for every real gap.
3. Add a sample gap and label it “one pencil length.”
4. Draw a smaller plan using half as much paper gap each time.
5. Ask someone to identify the same route on both plans.