Big Things, Small Models

Today you will use scale, proportion, and quantity to describe, compare, and model different systems. Scale is a rule that tells how a model's size matches the real thing's size. Think about a real pickup truck that is 12 feet long. A toy truck could be 1 foot long. Its scale is 1 foot on the toy equals 12 feet on the real truck, written 1:12. The real truck is 12 times as long as this toy. A smaller toy could be 6 inches long. The real truck is 144 inches long, and 144 divided by 6 is 24. Its scale is 1:24. The real truck stays 12 feet long no matter which toy you hold. Only the toy changes size.