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Grade 4 · lesson 1 of 4

Use a Map’s Distance Rule

Convert equal map segments into fictional ground distances.

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Supplied materials

  • Paper and a pencil, or say your answers aloud.

Learn the idea

A map’s scale relates a distance on the map to a distance in the represented place. Here we will use equal drawn segments instead of a real printed scale. The rule is “each path segment represents 200 meters.”

A distance along a route can be longer than the straight-line distance between its endpoints. Our fictional walking map gives only path segments. We can calculate the named route’s length; we cannot assume a shortcut exists or a route is safe from these numbers alone.

  1. Draw a path with two equal segments and label each 200 meters.
  2. Add the segment distances to find the path length.
  3. Draw a second path with three such segments.
  4. Keep the unit meters in your final answer.
Worked example

See the method in action

Two 200-meter segments total 200 + 200 = 400 meters. The number of segments and the scale rule are both needed.

Your turn

Check your reasoning

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A route has three equal segments. Each represents 200 meters. What length does this map assign to the route?

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See the answer and explanation

600 meters

There are three segments, each representing 200 meters. 200 + 200 + 200 = 600 meters. This calculates the shown route, not an unshown shortcut.

Take it further

Change the rule to 100 meters per segment. The same three-segment route then represents 300 meters. Explain why a changed scale changes the represented distance.

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These LifeStarter passages, scenarios and exercises are authored for this Academy with AI assistance and review. External resources keep their publishers’ terms. A grade label suggests a starting level; it does not establish alignment with your school’s complete requirements.