Key learning points

1. Two similar shapes can be described as being 'x' times greater or smaller than each other.
2. If one similar shape is smaller than another, the scale factor is a fraction.
3. Shapes related by a scale factor are similar.

Keywords

• Dimensions - The dimensions of an object or shape are the lengths of its sides and edges

• Scale factor - A scale factor is the ratio between the dimensions of the original shape and the new shape. The scale factor can be an integer or a fraction

• Regular polygon - A regular polygon has all sides the same length and all angles equal

• Similar shapes - Similar shapes can be transformed into each other by scaling their dimensions by the same scale factor

Common misconception