4.4.6

Scale Factors & Enlargement

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Scale Factor and Enlargement

When a shape is enlarged, it's lengths are all multiplied by S.

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Area

  • When a 2D shape is enlarged by a scale factor S, because all the lengths are multiplied by S, its area will be multiplied by S2.
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Volume

  • When a 3D shape is enlarged by a scale factor S all the lengths are multiplied by S.
  • The areas in the shape will be multiplied by S2 and the volumes will be multiplied by S3.
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Example

  • A cube of side length 1cm is enlarged by scale factor 2.
  • Its initial surface area was 6cm2 and its initial volume was 1cm3.
  • After enlargement each edge is now 2cm long.
  • Its surface area is now 6 × 4cm2 = 24cm2 which is 4 times as large as before.
  • Its volume is now 23cm3 = 8cm3 which is 8 times as large as before.

Jump to other topics

1Number

1.1Place Value

1.2Factors & Multiples

1.3Operations

1.4Fractions, Decimals & Percentages

1.5Growth & Decay

1.6Measurements & Units

1.7Accuracy

2Algebra

3Ratio, Proportion & Rates of Change

4Geometry & Measures

5Probability

6Statistics

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