Scaled Copies and Scale Factor

Front

What is a scale factor?

Back

A scale factor is a number that scales, or multiplies, some quantity. In geometry, it is the ratio of the lengths of corresponding sides of two similar figures.

Front

How do you find the scale factor between two similar figures?

Back

To find the scale factor, divide the length of a side of the scaled copy by the length of the corresponding side of the original figure.

Front

If the scale factor is 1/5, what does that mean?

Back

It means that every length in the original figure is multiplied by 1/5 to get the corresponding length in the scaled copy.

Front

What does it mean for a figure to be a scaled copy?

Back

A scaled copy is a figure that is similar to the original figure, where all corresponding lengths are multiplied by the same scale factor.

Front

If triangle ABC is scaled to triangle DEF with a scale factor of 3, how does the area change?

Back

The area of triangle DEF will be 3^2 = 9 times larger than the area of triangle ABC.

Front

What happens to the side lengths of a figure when the scale factor is greater than 1?

Back

When the scale factor is greater than 1, the side lengths of the figure increase, making the scaled copy larger than the original.

Front

What happens to the side lengths of a figure when the scale factor is less than 1?

Back

When the scale factor is less than 1, the side lengths of the figure decrease, making the scaled copy smaller than the original.

Front

If the original figure has a side length of 10 cm and the scale factor is 1/2, what is the length of the corresponding side in the scaled copy?

Back

The length of the corresponding side in the scaled copy is 10 cm * 1/2 = 5 cm.

Front

What is the relationship between the scale factor and the corresponding angles of similar figures?

Back

The corresponding angles of similar figures are always equal, regardless of the scale factor.

Front

If a rectangle has a length of 8 cm and a width of 4 cm, what are the dimensions of a scaled copy with a scale factor of 2?

Back

The dimensions of the scaled copy will be 8 cm * 2 = 16 cm (length) and 4 cm * 2 = 8 cm (width).