3 Comparing and connecting scales

Now that you have worked through the resources and questions for each scale level, you should have an appreciation to of the huge range of scales encountered across the sciences. To consolidate your learning the next task is to compare the time and size scales across two levels.

Write a paragraph describing the relationship between any two levels that you found interesting, and what gave you an appreciation of both the time and size scales between those levels. For example, you might choose to compare the oak tree and oak ecosystem levels, and describe the implications of the duration of the lifecycle of an oak on the history of oak ecosystem conservation. You can revisit the size–time explorer [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] if you want to.

Your paragraph should be no more than 250 words in length. Be sure to clearly identify the two levels and then explain how the connection between them contributed to your understanding of both size and time scales in science, specifically referring to the numbers and scales involved. Indeed, you could use some of the maths skills you have been practising to compare the scales between levels. Note that the two levels do not have to be adjacent in the size–time explorer, but they can be if you choose.