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Scale (spatial)
 
 
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Spatial scale provides a "shorthand" form for discussing relative lengths, areas, distances and sizes.






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Scale Length Area Locale
Micro 1 m - 1 km 1 mē - 1 kmē local
Meso 1 km - 100 km 1 kmē - 100 kmē regional
Macro 100 km - 10 000 km 100 kmē - 10 000 kmē continental
Mega > 10 000 km >10 000 kmē global


Spatial scale provides a "shorthand" form for discussing relative lengths, areas, distances and sizes. A microclimate, for instance, is one which might occur in a mountain
Mountain

A mountain is a landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill....
 valley
Valley

In geology, a valley is a Depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge....
 or near a lakeshore, whereas a megatrend is one which involves the whole planet
Planet

A planet , as 2006 definition of planet by the International Astronomical Union , is a celestial body orbiting a star or Stellar evolution#Stellar remnants that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared the neighbourhood of planetesimals....
.

It is important to realize that these divisions are more or less arbitrary, and where, on this table, mega- is assigned global scope, it may only apply continentally or even regionally in other contexts. The interpretations of meso- and macro- must then be adjusted accordingly.

See also

  • astronomical units of length
    Astronomical units of length

    Astronomers use a number of different length Units of measure for different objects. The length unit used is typically determined by two criteria:#the unit should create manageable numbers...
  • cosmic distance ladder
    Cosmic distance ladder

    File:Extragalactic distance ladder.JPGThe cosmic distance ladder is the succession of methods by which astronomers determine the distances to celestial objects....
  • orders of magnitude (length)
    Orders of magnitude (length)

    To help compare different orders of magnitude, the following list describes various lengths between 1.6 m and 1.3 m.|}Detailed List...


External links

  • — visual depictions of the relative scale of various distances, ranging from the Planck length
    Planck length

    In physics, the Planck length, denoted , is unit of length, equal to about 1.6 × 10-33 centimeters. It is a base unit in the system of Planck units, the most widely used system of natural units....
     to the furthest known object in the Universe
    Universe

    The universe is defined as everything that physically exists: the entirety of space and time, all forms of matter, energy and momentum, and the physical laws and physical constants that govern them....
    .