Question

What is the four-figure grid reference and how is it used?

Answer 1

Hint: The four-figure grid reference system is a system that geographers use to locate a place on a map. A four-figure number is used to highlight a particular spot on the map. Such a figure is arrived at by the amalgamation of the corresponding ‘easting’ and ‘northing’.

Complete answer:
A map would have lines crossing it vertically from south to a northwardly direction. These are called northings. Another set of lines crosses the map horizontally from west to east, and are called eastings. As per the four-figure grid reference, when these two lines meet, a square would be formed, the bottom left corner of which is supposed to locate a place.
This is represented by a four-figure number. The first two of these digits represent the easting, while the remaining two represent the northing.
This is a very useful tool for locating places in a map, and also divides the map into smaller squares for more convenience.

Note: This works much like locating places through coordinates of latitudes and longitudes. That, like this, also divides the map into grids and locates places as per intersection of the vertical and horizontal lines.