Scale Factor
Organizer Scale Factor What is it? Find a Scale Factor #1 Rule Real Word Problem Scale Factor
What is it? Scale Factor is the number you multiply to enlarge or reduce shapes or ratios. Example: Make something TWICE AS BIG has a scale factor of 2 because you multiplied by 2.
How to Find the Scale Factor In Math, Divide the larger number by the smaller number. In Real World, look for a KEY, SCALE, or LEGEND. It will tell you the scale factor
Example A Model Airplane vs Real Airplane Model Size Actual Size Size 1 ft long 80 ft long
Example Blueprint of House vs Actual House BlueprintSize Actual Size 2.5 ft long 145 ft long
Example Map of U.S.A. vs Actual U.S.A. Map Size Actual Size Size 2.3 ft long 15206400 ft long
Example Toy Statue of Liberty vs Actual Statue Toy Size Actual Size 0.9 ft long 151 ft long
Real World Problem Create a Proportion. Fraction 1 = Fraction 2 Fraction 1 = the scale factor as a fraction Fraction 2 = size of model Actual size Solve for x. One of those will be an x
#1 Rule Make sure that you have the same units on top and the same units on the bottom!!!
Example A house is being built. The scale factor for the blue print is 1 in = 8 ft. If the blue print size house is 120 in, how tall is the actual size of the house.
Example The scale on a road map is 1 cm = 500 miles. If the distance on the map between New York City and Memphis is 2.2 cm, what is the actual distance between the two cities?
Example On a scale drawing, a helicopter is 2.2 ft long. The scale factor is 1/9. Find the length of the helicopter.
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