Final answer:
The magnification factor, given an SID of 40" and an SOD of 38", is approximately 1.05. This is calculated from the formula m = SID/SOD.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is concerning the concept of magnification factor in optics, which is part of the Physics curriculum. The magnification (m) is the ratio of the size of the image (I) to the size of the object (O). The magnification factor can be calculated using the formula m = SID/SOD, where SID is the Source to Image Distance and SOD is the Source to Object Distance. Given that the SID is 40 inches and the SOD is 38 inches, the OID (Object to Image Distance) is not directly necessary to find out the magnification factor. Using the given values, the magnification factor (m) would be 40"/38", which simplifies to approximately 1.05. This means the image will be magnified to 105% of the object's size.