A scale is an arrangement of pitch classes. It is an essential component of a map as it allows for the transformation of positions on the spherical Earth to positions on flat maps.
Scale development consists of several steps, including domain identification and item generation. The resulting pool of items must then be reduced through tests of dimensionality and evaluation for content validity.
Definition
Scale is a ratio that represents the relationship between dimensions on a model and the corresponding dimensions of an actual figure or object. It helps in representing real-world objects on paper with comparatively smaller dimensions. Scales are most commonly used in maps and blueprints for construction of buildings.
Scales are also used in physics, geometry, and music. For example, scales in physics allow measurement of distances and area using a graduated line. In geometry, a scale is a set of rules that governs the size of geometric figures and shapes.
In music, a scale is a fixed sequence of musical notes built relative to a single root note and ordered in pitch. Various scales have different personalities, which makes them worth learning depending on the kind of music you like to play.
Filmmakers use proportion to create scale within a shot composition. For example, they can proportion a statue with its surrounding people to make the statue look larger.
Meaning
A scale is a graduated series, as on a map, that represents proportional sizes. The word is also used as a verb, meaning to enlarge something to a greater or lesser degree. For example, to “scale a mountain” means to climb it at a proportionately larger height.
In music, a scale is the set of interval patterns that define a particular musical octave; it is usually indicated by its name and a choice of a tonic, which is the starting point of its adopted interval pattern. The tonic of the C major scale is, of course, C.
A scale can be augmented or diminished according to modulation, which is systematic changing from one scale to another in a conventionalized manner. For example, the major mode pieces of a classical composer may modulate from a diatonic tonal scale to an auxiliary diminished scale a fifth above the tonic. A scale can also be described by its syllables: the movable do solfege naming system for the seven notes of a major scale is usually called a melodic scale.
Origin
The term scale can be applied to a variety of things: a series that climbs up or down, as in a musical scale (do-re-mi-fa-sol-ti-do); a system for determining body weight, such as the one depicted in the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead; or a balance scale, which is commonly used for weighing merchandise. Scales have been used as a symbol of commerce since ancient times, and they are often found on the seals of government departments and the Federal Trade Commission.
In 1669, the Frenchman Gilles Personne de Roberval presented a new kind of scale. Unlike previous scales that required a counterweight or peg, his new scale was self-balancing and could be moved anywhere on its parallelogram. The new scale was a revolutionary improvement over earlier types of balance scales, and it later evolved into the more common form that we use today. A variation of this scale, the microbalance, can measure very small masses with great accuracy.
Applications
Scale is used to represent a ratio in geometry, drawing, architecture and engineering. It is also used to shrink or magnify objects to make them easier to see, like when creating blueprints for machinery or buildings. It can also be used to create maps by reducing the size of land masses to show their relative sizes.
Traditional mechanical balance-beam scales use two plates suspended at equal distances from a fulcrum to determine mass or weight. Since the force of gravity varies over the surface of the Earth, these scales need to be calibrated for each location.
Other scales may be constructed from elastically deformable arms or from a sliding frictionless rod. These can have an advantage over center-beam scales in that they do not require the use of a fixed set of reference masses, and their calibration is simpler because the deformation of the arm or rod can be measured. This type of scale is called a hybrid scale.