A. Review of Scale Factor

Explore the perimeter, area, and dimensions of a square in relation to a scale factor using the Scale Factor, Perimeter, and Area of a 2-D Shape applet (20 April 2013, Created with GeoGebra).

Use the slider for Square B below to explore the relationships between scale factor, perimeter, and area.

This is a Java Applet created using GeoGebra from www.geogebra.org - it looks like you don't have Java installed, please go to www.java.com


Answer the following questions based on the interactive applet. Area of 2-D shapes will be investigated further in Lesson 5.3.

  1. What happens to Square B's perimeter, compared to Square A's perimeter, as Square B's length is doubled, tripled, etc.?



  2. In your own words, describe what you think scale factor is.


    Using the diagram, answer the next question
  3. Is there a relationship between scale factor and perimeter? Can you explain what it is?


    How are similar shapes or similar objects related by a scale factor?