Question

How does a scale factor change the size of a figure?

Answer 1

Hello!

The scale factor shows how much a figure is dilated. For example, if you have a square that has an area of 4, and it is dilated by a scale factor of 2, its area will become 8, or with a scale factor of 1/2, it will become 2/

I hope this helps!

Answer 2

The scale factor can change how big or small a figure is, though it will still be similar. For example, a triangle with two sides measuring 3 & 3 (isosceles) are scaled in a factor of 6 (becoming larger).

3 x 6 = 18

The new triangle will have the sides measuring 18. Even though the triangles are not congruent, they are similar.


hope this helps