The scale of a chart is a ratio of a distance on the chart to the actual distance on the ______.

The scale of a chart is a ratio of a distance on the chart to the actual distance on the ______.

• A. Water
• B. Air
• C. Land
• D. Sea Bed

Answer: (A)

Chart scale shows how far apart things on the chart are compared to their actual distance along the water’s surface. When you navigate, you’re measuring distances over the water, so the scale converts chart measurements into real travel distances on the water, not through air, over land, or along the seabed. For example, a 1:50,000 scale means 1 unit on the chart equals 50,000 of the same units in reality, so 1 centimeter on the chart represents 500 meters of distance on the water’s surface, and 2 centimeters would be about 1 kilometer. This is why the distance related to navigation is tied to the water’s surface.

Chart scale shows how far apart things on the chart are compared to their actual distance along the water’s surface. When you navigate, you’re measuring distances over the water, so the scale converts chart measurements into real travel distances on the water, not through air, over land, or along the seabed. For example, a 1:50,000 scale means 1 unit on the chart equals 50,000 of the same units in reality, so 1 centimeter on the chart represents 500 meters of distance on the water’s surface, and 2 centimeters would be about 1 kilometer. This is why the distance related to navigation is tied to the water’s surface.