Final answer:
The scale factor determines whether dilation is an expansion or a contraction.
Step-by-step explanation:
In terms of dilation, the scale factor determines whether the dilation is an expansion or a contraction. If the scale factor is greater than 1, it indicates expansion, which means the size is increasing. If the scale factor is between 0 and 1, it indicates contraction, which means the size is decreasing.
For example, if we have a scale factor of 2, it means the object is expanding, and each dimension of the object is doubled. On the other hand, if we have a scale factor of 0.5, it means the object is contracting, and each dimension of the object is halved.