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Can someone pls explain to me EVERYTHING about dilations in an easy way, I have a quiz tomorrow but I’m lost, the things like how to find the center of dilation, scale factor and all that stuff thank you

User Skary
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Answer:

Sure I'd be happy to help you

Explanation:

Dilations are a fundamental concept in geometry, and they involve resizing and transforming shapes. Imagine you have a drawing or a shape on a piece of paper, and you want to make it bigger or smaller while keeping the same shape. That's what a dilation does.

Here are the key components of a dilation:

1. Center of Dilation: This is the fixed point about which the shape is resized. Think of it as the "center" of the transformation. It's usually represented as a point, often labeled as "C" on a diagram.

2. Scale Factor: The scale factor is a number that tells you how much to enlarge or reduce the size of the shape. If the scale factor is greater than 1, the shape gets bigger; if it's between 0 and 1, the shape gets smaller. The scale factor is usually denoted by "k."

Now, here's how to perform a dilation:

Enlargement (Scale Factor > 1):

1. Locate the center of dilation (point C).

2. Measure the distance from the center of dilation to a point on the original shape.

3. Multiply that distance by the scale factor (k) to find the new distance.

4. Use the new distances to plot the points of the enlarged shape.

Reduction (Scale Factor between 0 and 1):

1. Locate the center of dilation (point C).

2. Measure the distance from the center of dilation to a point on the original shape.

3. Multiply that distance by the scale factor (k) to find the new distance.

4. Use the new distances to plot the points of the reduced shape.

Here's a simple example:

Let's say you have a triangle, and you want to enlarge it with a center of dilation at point C and a scale factor of 2. If one side of the original triangle is 4 units long, you would multiply 4 by 2 to get 8 units for the corresponding side of the enlarged triangle.

Remember that the center of dilation remains fixed while the rest of the shape changes in size. You can do this for all the points on the shape to get the entire enlarged or reduced figure.

Also, keep in mind that if the scale factor is negative, the shape will be reflected across the center of dilation.

Good luck with your quiz! I hope this explanation helps you understand dilations better.

User Mithu
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