What Is the Term for Models That Can't Scale Accurately in All Ratios?

[Dr Wu]

I understand there's a term (which I can no longer recall) for the kind of modelling that cannot accurately scale an item in all its ratios. A classic example are those standard images one sees of the solar system. One might get the distances between the planets right, but unless a room the size of a small country is available, one will be hard pushed to visually reproduce the diameters of the planets themselves to the same scale. The identical problem also applies to the subatomic world. I have tried googling an answer, but keep drawing a blank. Perhaps there is no such term. My memory, though, tells me otherwise, but refuses to divulge the answer. Non-scale modelling? The logarithmic scale? I'm really guessing now.

 

[Mark44]

I understand there's a term (which I can no longer recall) for the kind of modelling that cannot accurately scale an item in all its ratios. A classic example are those standard images one sees of the solar system. One might get the distances between the planets right, but unless a room the size of a small country is available, one will be hard pushed to visually reproduce the diameters of the planets themselves to the same scale. The identical problem also applies to the subatomic world. I have tried googling an answer, but keep drawing a blank. Perhaps there is no such term. My memory, though, tells me otherwise, but refuses to divulge the answer. Non-scale modelling? The logarithmic scale? I'm really guessing now.

What comes to mind to me is semi-log and log-log graphs. Not sure if this is what you're looking for.