Whether it’s the slightly skewed spring scale hanging in the produce aisle or the pit-and-girder monsters used to weigh train cars and trucks, a scale is the workhorse of modern society. And yet, they aren’t without their share of technical difficulties.
One crucial challenge is consistency of scale. Unless scale items are consistent, they are useless for measuring constructs effectively.
Definition
When you’re around people who produce or use geographic information, you’ll often hear the term scale. Sometimes it’s used as a verb, as in “scaling a map,” and sometimes as a property of a phenomenon or its representation on a map. It is important to understand the different meanings of this term so that you can correctly apply it to your work.
Scale is a value that increases or decreases the size of a shape without changing its proportions. When we create a drawing with an enlarged scale, the dimensions of the original figure are multiplied by the scale factor to obtain the dimensions of the new shape. When we create a drawing with a reduced scale, the dimensions of the original figure are divided by the scale factor to obtain the dimensions of a smaller new shape.
Scale is also the name of a feature that boosts (or lowers) the overall sizing for dimension values, as discussed in Chapter 6. To see this feature, click on the Use overall scale of: field under the Fine tuning category.
Origin
The word scale traces back to the Latin scala. It is also related to a number of other words:
In cartography the concept of scale refers to a ratio of map units to ground units, usually expressed as a point scale or a representative fraction. Typically the scale factor is isotropic, that is it preserves shape in small regions. This is one of the characteristics of a conformal projection, and is why these projections are sometimes called orthomorphic.
In music, scales are used to describe the relative durations of notes in a composition. They are also important in the construction of musical tones. Different cultures use their own unique sets of scales, contributing to the rich diversity of world music. The most well known is the twelve-tone equal temperament scale developed by Johann Sebastian Bach, and the Indian raga system.
Meaning
The word scale is often used in maps, blueprints, and models to represent a real-world figure or object with comparatively smaller dimensions. A scale is also a ratio that shows how one dimension of a model represents a different length in the real world. For example, a blueprint with a square base that has a side of 4 yards will have an area in the real world equal to 190 yards.
Scale is also a concept that can be applied to figures in geometry, such as circles and triangles. When a shape is scaled, its size is multiplied by the scale factor to produce a new, enlarged shape.
The opposite of scaling is downscaling, which is the process of reducing a large number to a small one. When a shape is downscaled, the scale factor is always less than 1. The mean scale score for this assessment indicates that students are on average approaching expectations.
Applications
Scalability is a key aspect of any web application, as it allows businesses to accommodate growth and spikes in user traffic without having to invest in new infrastructure or hiring additional employees. Having a scalable application can help businesses stay competitive in the market, provide better service to customers, and increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Economies of scale are also important to businesses, as they can lower their production costs by increasing output. These cost savings can then be passed on to consumers through reduced prices, which can lead to increased sales.
Retail businesses often implement scaling strategies to remain competitive in the market and expand their reach. Walmart, for example, has embraced scalability since its inception and has grown into one of the world’s largest retailers by prioritizing affordable prices and a wide selection of products. The benefits of scalability are numerous, but it’s important to consider the costs associated with implementing a scalable application before making the decision.