Distance

In real life

Why is measuring distance relevant in these real-life situations:

a student who attends a school that is 50 km away from their home
an ambulance responding to an emergency call
the protection of an endangered koala colony?

Tools for finding distance in the field include a trundle wheel and a GPS with a map.

Using a trundle wheel

A trundle wheel is used to measure the distance from one place to another in the field. It is often used to measure short distances.

How to use a trundle wheel.

Using a map and GPS

Every map should have a scale. It is an indication of how much real area can fit on a map. Use the scale on a map to determine the distance between two points.

A common scale is 1:100 000 which means 1 cm on the map is equivalent to 100 000 cm (or 1 km) on the ground. Use a ruler for measuring straight line distances but use string for measuring distance along tracks, roads creeks shown on the map.

A large scale shows a large amount of detail. This scale covers a small area. For example, a plan of your bedroom at a scale of 1:10 would reveal objects such as your wardrobe, bed, desk and chair.

A street map has a large scale

A small scale shows a small amount of detail. This scale covers a large area. A world map at a scale of 1: 25 000 000 for example, would reveal very little detail as the whole map covers every continent so only the largest features such as lakes and mountains are represented.

A world map has a small scale

A GPS is also useful for measuring distance in the field.

How to measure distance using a GPS.

Quiz question

Can a GPS find someone’s exact position?