A scale is a measurement system. Often used to measure height, length and weight. It can also be applied to other things like time and money.

Participants were asked to free-text comment on the provided definitions of different types of scale. Results are shown in Table 5. Some of the key comments are summarized below:

Definition

A scale is a system of notes arranged by pitch that gives music its characteristic sound and feeling. The distance between each note is called an interval. Different scales have different sounds, and are linked to specific styles of music, geographical regions and feelings. For example, music using notes from a major scale will often sound happy and uplifting, while music using notes from a minor scale will often sound sad and reflective.

A measurement used to represent large dimensions proportionately on drawings and plans, enabling precise measurement and interpretation of the design. Architects use scaled drawings to make blueprints for buildings, and engineers use them to design machinery and infrastructure components.

A scale is also the ratio by which a quantity is divided into another quantity of the same kind. The term is also used to refer to a standard amount of money paid for a service, such as the union-negotiated amounts received by actors and writers.

Meaning

A number or ratio that represents a proportionate size of an object in two-dimensional or three-dimensional geometry. A scale can also be used to enlarge or shrink shapes in drawings and plans. Engineers create scale drawings of machinery and architecture; cartographers use them to represent geographical areas accurately on maps.

The term comes from the Latin scala, meaning a ladder or staircase. It originally referred to climbing, but the sense evolved to mean ascending or descending. This evolution is reflected in the way that musical scales ascend and descend and how we weigh ourselves on a balance.

In the music of nonliterate cultures, scales function somewhat differently, since the creators were unaware of them as theoretical concepts. However, the music of highly developed cultures (variously described as classical music, art music, or cultivated music) is created in full awareness of rules and conventions pertaining to scale usage. This knowledge can be transmitted from one generation to the next, whether through written treatises or oral tradition.

Examples

A scale is the series of categories you use to rank things. A common example is a scale that classifies school students based on their scores in a reading evaluation. This is an ordinal scale of measurement.

An interval scale allows you to measure the difference between two attributes. It can be either continuous or discrete, and it is possible to perform arithmetic operations on its values. This type of scale is often used in evaluating student grades, measuring temperature, etc.

A ratio scale is similar to an interval scale but can be used with both continuous and discrete data. It can be divided and multiplied, and it has an absolute zero that represents no value. This scale is often used to measure weight, height and speed. It is also often used in evaluating student grades and measuring a patient’s temperature. For example, 30 kilograms is three times the weight of 10 kilograms. The following are some examples of this type of scale.

Origin

The word scale derives from the Latin scala, meaning ladder or staircase. It initially referred to climbing, where something — such as an idea or practice — moved up from a lower place to some grander space. It was then used by geographers to refer to the way a map represented an area in ways that were true to real life.

The first weighing scale was probably built from readily found materials like wood and metal. It consisted of a pivoted horizontal lever with a pan for holding the goods and standard weights suspended from each arm. The unknown mass was placed in one of the pans and the other was adjusted until the balance was as close to equilibrium as possible.

The major scale, as narrowly defined, is relatively new, but the diatonic scale (the seven notes arranged in a specific pattern, irrespective of tonic) has a much older origin. It is believed to be at least as old as, and probably older than, musical instruments.