Scale factor
From Glossary of Meteorology
scale factor
(
Also called map scale, map factor.) The ratio between the distance separating two points on a map of the earth's surface at a standard latitude (or latitudes) and the distance between the corresponding points on the earth's surface itself.
Also called map scale, map factor.) The ratio between the distance separating two points on a map of the earth's surface at a standard latitude (or latitudes) and the distance between the corresponding points on the earth's surface itself.
For most map projections, this factor is a slowly varying function of latitude, and for synoptic- chart base maps it is usually of the order of 10−6 to 10−7. The scale factor is sometimes defined as the reciprocal of the above ratio.
Compare conformal map.
Compare conformal map.
