Final answer:
The scale factor is a ratio that compares the dimensions of a scaled object to the dimensions of the original object.
Step-by-step explanation:
The scale factor is a ratio that compares the dimensions of a scaled object to the dimensions of the original object. It can be used to determine both scale and actual sizes or dimensions. For example, if polygon A is a copy of polygon B with a scale factor of 2, it means that the dimensions of A are twice the dimensions of B.
Similarly, if polygon C is a scaled copy of polygon D with a scale factor of 3, it means that the dimensions of C are three times the dimensions of D.