8 ms·
It's always struck me as bizarre that it's the convention to refer to length when using the word "scale". When I read it my mind is naturally inclined to think
by Causality1 6y ago
It's always struck me as bizarre that it's the convention to refer to length when using the word "scale". When I read it my mind is naturally inclined to think "volume" and I have to remind myself that 1:60 scale does not mean the model is 1/60 the size of the original.
- detaro 6y agoCurious if you feel the same about scale on maps, or does your mental model work differently there?
- Causality1 6y agoNot sure. I've never heard someone say or write "this is a 1:50 scale map" or something of the sort.
- Theodores 6y agoAt least the scale gives you an idea even if not as immediately intuitive as you would like. In model railway world you have O, HO, OO, N and plenty of other scales that sometimes are not even a scale - track guages can be different in scale to the trains. 1:60 is the convention for planes which is not the same as the 1:64 scale used for die cast toy cars. But these are the standards we are stuck with. Well it is convention for planes to be in 1:60 scale
- triangleman 6y agoIt's not 1/60 the size of the original?
- Causality1 6y agoNope. Volume varies with the cube of the length. A 1:60 scale model only takes up 1/216,000 the space of the original.
- triangleman 6y agoYou're right. I think it's time to hang up my username and go learn some math.