A topographical map with scale 1 : 50000 indicates 1 cm to

A map scale of 1:50,000 is a representative fraction indicating that one unit of measurement on the map represents 50,000 of the same units on the ground. Therefore, 1 cm on the map is equivalent to 50,000 cm in reality. To convert this ground distance into a more practical unit like meters, the value is divided by 100 (since 1 meter equals 100 centimeters). Dividing 50,000 by 100 results in 500 meters. Consequently, on a standard 1:50,000 topographical map, a 1 cm distance measured on the paper corresponds to exactly 500 meters of actual horizontal distance on the earth's surface. This scale is commonly used in topographic mapping to provide a balance between detail and area coverage [1].

Sources

1. [1] https://pubs.usgs.gov/unnumbered/70039582/report.pdf