Talk:Scale (map)

message: What is the meaning of "a one-inch map", "a quarter-inch map" etc.? I presume this somehow refers to scale but am uncertain as to what, precisely, it means. -- pne (talk) 15:52, 12 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: One-inch, quarter-inch, etc.

message: The meaning here - typically used in the U.S. - refers to the approximate distance on the map to 1 mile on the ground. Thus a representative fraction map with a scale of 1:63,360 is a "one-inch map" in common parlance (in practice this also includes the later scale of 1:62,500 used by the USGS in their older 15' topo series maps).  I suppose that makes a quarter-inch map one of the 1:250,000 quadrangles produced by the Defense Mapping Agency.
In general this page could be more clearly written, particularly the first bit.
Patrick McHaffie  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 140.192.166.146 (talk) 14:59, 14 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: One-inch, quarter-inch, etc.- explanation

message: It would be helpful to add common scales for maps and what they are used for; for instance, the 1:24,000 (7.5') USGS topographic maps that are common in the U.S. If there are other scales that are commonly used in other countries that would be interesting. -- phoebe / (talk to me) 23:21, 9 January 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: I added some hints for scales, because they can be somewhat counterintuitive, but the addition needs some editing, and maybe a citation. RETheUgly (talk) 20:44, 16 December 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: I deleted the addition. Encyclopædia articles don’t use didactic idioms like “it should be noted” and they do not presuppose or speculate on a reader’s ignorance or confusion. The description of large- and small-scale is quite explicit. (I know this article has a lot of didactic idioms, but we should be paring them down, not increasing them.) Thanks. Strebe (talk) 04:41, 17 December 2013 (UTC)
thread_title: add common scales

message: I would like to suggest some modifications for this page.
1
Clarify the discussion of map scale by introducing the idea of point scale using the Mercator projections as examples.
2
Contrast map point scale and RF, the representative fraction for the map. The former is a function of position. The latter is constant over the whole map.
3
Remove some of the trivial examples.
4
Remove all the the non-map stuff. (Areal and volume scaling, de Brito etc)
Peter Mercator (talk) 14:36, 5 April 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Suggested modifications 

message: I have at last got around to revising this page. Grateful if any watchers could look through for typos and infelicities. I am also hoping for comments and criticisms. My plans for the future include examples from other classes of projection. More general theory on scales might go into a revision of the Tissot's Indicatrix page. My main self-criticism is that this page is pedagogic rather than encyclopaedic. This is disapproved of in Wiki. What do you think? Peter Mercator (talk) 21:11, 11 November 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Revision 

message: Linear_scale article looks to have a good chunk of stuff that could/should merge in here I think. EdwardLane (talk) 11:35, 27 February 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: As its creator, I have a bias in favor of the separate article. With that said, I argue that maps are simply one kind of scale drawing so that merging Linear_scale here would make it harder to use it in articles on architectural and mechanical drawings.  Note also that of the approximately 200 links into the two articles, only three are shared. That is a very good indication that they have very separate uses. . . Jim - Jameslwoodward (talk to me • contribs)  14:43, 27 February 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: OK then perhaps just a bunch of images from Linear scale could be used here too. Or some links from one article to the other and back should be included. EdwardLane (talk) 15:05, 27 February 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: The purposes of two articles differ nearly completely. Linear scale refers to the stated scale and especially its iconography. It is mentioned and linked to in Scale (map)#Terminology of scales. The Scale (map) article is detailed discussion of the concept of scale as it pertains to maps, where the actual scale varies continuously over the map, regardless of what its stated (fictitious) scale might be. This article is specifically NOT about the bar scale graphic and not much about the stated scale. Possibly the top of the article should link to Linear scale as a convenience for those who actually want to know about that. Strebe (talk) 21:12, 27 February 2012 (UTC)
replies: text:  Thanks for the clarification Strebe, I missed the 'about' stuff at the top - my error. EdwardLane (talk) 09:50, 28 February 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: No, no; I just added that. Thanks for tipping me off to its need. Strebe (talk) 18:31, 28 February 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: Actually a can not understand the reasons said about not to merge. Why would the merge "make it harder to use it in articles on architectural and mechanical drawings"? And off course this article is not about the bar scale graphic (its' topic is very broader), but a section can deal it. --109.53.229.124 (talk) 10:30, 27 July 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: If you read the two articles proposed for merging, you will see they don’t have much to do with each other. Strebe (talk) 01:04, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

text:  On the contrary, scale ratio is restricted to scales which are constant whereas scale (map) has to address the fact that the scales of maps are varying (except for maps of small regions). This is a subtle concept which would be out of place in the discussion of ratios.  Peter Mercator (talk) 18:01, 28 July 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  merge ? 

message: I wondering why not merge with Scale (ratio) (or not to change the titles). This is not a disambiguation, Scale (ratio) is about every kind of models, so it's a broader topic. See Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Broad-concept articles. --109.53.229.124 (talk) 10:35, 27 July 2014 (UTC)
replies: text:  On the contrary, scale ratio is restricted to scales which are constant whereas scale (map) has to address the fact that the scales of maps are varying (except for maps of small regions). This is a subtle concept which would be out of place in the discussion of ratios.  Peter Mercator (talk) 18:01, 28 July 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Even more merge: Scale (ratio)