Similar Figures & Dilations

Front

What are similar figures?

Back

Figures that have the same shape but may differ in size; their corresponding side lengths are proportional.

Front

What is a dilation in geometry?

Back

A transformation that produces a figure similar to the original by enlarging or reducing it using a scale factor.

Front

What is a scale factor?

Back

A number that scales, or multiplies, the dimensions of a figure during a dilation.

Front

What happens to the area of a shape when it is dilated by a scale factor of 2?

Back

The area of the shape quadruples (increases by a factor of 4).

Front

If a shape is dilated by a scale factor of 1/2, what happens to its dimensions?

Back

The dimensions of the shape are reduced to half their original size.

Front

What is the relationship between the perimeters of similar figures?

Back

The ratio of the perimeters of similar figures is equal to the ratio of their corresponding side lengths.

Front

If the sides of a square are doubled, what happens to its perimeter?

Back

The perimeter of the square also doubles.

Front

What is a reduction in terms of dilations?

Back

A dilation that produces a smaller figure, where the scale factor is less than 1.

Front

What is an enlargement in terms of dilations?

Back

A dilation that produces a larger figure, where the scale factor is greater than 1.

Front

If a rectangle's length is tripled and width is doubled, what happens to its area?

Back

The area increases by a factor of 6 (3 times the length and 2 times the width).