The ratio between the size of something real and that of a model or representation of it, larger or smaller. See pictures of the grasshopper below.
A 1:1 (one-to-one) scale means the representation has the same dimensions as the original.
A 1:2 (one-to-two) scale means that the original is exactly twice as big as the representation.
A 2:1 (two-to-one) scale means that the representation is exactly twice as big as the original.
On design plans the most common scale is 1/8th of an inch equals a foot. Since in a foot there are 96 1/8th of an inch, the scale is usually 1:96, which means that the original is exactly 96 times as big as the representation. In the example below the length of a barbecue counter on the plan is 1 and 3/8th of an inch, or 11 one-eights of an inch. That means that in real life it will be built to be 96 times bigger: 11 feet.
