Scale Factors

Front

What is a scale factor?

Back

A scale factor is a number that scales, or multiplies, some quantity. It is used to determine how much a figure is enlarged or reduced.

Front

If the scale factor is less than one, what happens to the figure?

Back

The figure will be reduced.

Front

If the scale factor is greater than one, what happens to the figure?

Back

The figure will be enlarged.

Front

What is the scale factor if a small figure is enlarged to three times its size?

Back

The scale factor is 3.

Front

How do you determine if two figures are similar?

Back

Two figures are similar if their corresponding angles are equal and the lengths of their corresponding sides are proportional.

Front

What does it mean for two figures to be scaled copies of each other?

Back

It means that one figure can be obtained from the other by applying a scale factor.

Front

If Figure A has a side length of 5 cm and Figure B has a side length of 15 cm, what is the scale factor from A to B?

Back

The scale factor is 3.

Front

How do you find a missing side length in similar figures?

Back

Set up a proportion using the known side lengths and solve for the missing length.

Front

If the scale factor is 4 and one side of the original figure is 6 m, what is the length of the corresponding side in the scaled figure?

Back

The length of the corresponding side is 24 m.

Front

What is the relationship between scale factors and area?

Back

If the scale factor is k, the area of the scaled figure is k² times the area of the original figure.