Laboratory Investigation 11.

3
Pantographs
A pantograph is a mechanical device for enlarging and reducing figures by producing
a similarity mapping. It can be constructed by computer software programs (see
footnote) or constructed from four strips of wood, metal, or posterboard that are drilled
with equally spaced holes, as shown in the following figure.* The arms of the
pantograph are hinged at points A, , !, and " so that they move freely. "oint # is the
pro$ection point and should be held fi%ed. As point " traces the original figure, a pencil
at point "& (its image) traces the enlargement. In this figure the arms are set so that
point "& is twice as far from the pro$ection point # as is point ", so the scale factor for
this mapping is '. To reduce a figure, the pencil is positioned at " and "& is moved
around the boundary of the original figure. (ith the arms set as shown in the above
figure, the scale factor for such a reduction is )*'. The pantograph can be changed to
obtain different scale factors by ad$usting the locations of points and !. uild a
pantograph and e%periment with different settings of the arms.
Starting Points for Investigations
). +or an enlargement with a scale factor of ', point is half way between # and A,
and point ! is half way between A and "&. (here should points and ! be placed for
an enlargement with a scale factor of ,- (.int/ To chec0 your answer, use the
pantograph to enlarge a unit square. The enlargement should have an area of )1
square units. (hy-)
'. (hat happens to the scale factor for an enlargement as point is moved toward #
and point ! is moved toward A-
2. (here should points and ! be placed for an enlargement with a scale factor of 3-
,. (hat happens to the scale factor for an enlargement as point is moved toward A
and point ! is moved toward "&-
*4 ennett, Exploring Geometry (er0eley, !A/ 5ey !urriculum "ress, )662). pp. '627
'68. This te%t has step7by7step directions for constructing a pantograph and drawing
similar figures by using The Geometer's Sketchpad.