Enlargement

What is enlargement?
A shape getting bigger or smaller.

A geometrical transformation of the plane in which a shape is mapped onto a similar shape
using a centre of enlargement.
The angles are the same

Centre of enlargement
When the length of a coordinate on the image is divided by the length of a coordinate on
the object, we get the scale factor.
OA’/OA=k
Where O is the centre of enlargement
A is the coordinate on the object
A’ is the coordinate on the image
And k is the scale factor
 A’

What is the scale factor?

Distance from origin to C= 2 units

C’
B’ Distance from origin to C’= 4 units
A
Scale factor OC’/OC=4/2=2
B
C
Distance from origin to A=3.5

Distance from origin to A’=7

Scale factor= OA’/OA= 7/3.5=2

Calculate the scale factor by using B and B’ coordinates

The scale factor can also be found by the length of one side of the image divided by the
length of one side of the object.

A’B’/AB=k

Where A’B’ is the length of the image

And AB is the object

K is the scale factor

 The distance of AB=2
B’
B
units
The distance of A’B’=4
units
Scale Factor=
A’B’/AB=4/2=2
A’
D’
Length of BC= 3 units

Length of B’C’= 6 units

Scale factor = B’C’/BC= 6/3= 2 units

The matrix for enlargement when the centre of enlargement is the origin

K 0

0 k

This is only when the centre of centre of enlargement is the origin

If the centre of enlargement is not the origin, if there is a scale factor given, multiply the
OA by the scale factor.

1) Note the centre of enlargement and note the coordinate on the object
2) Measure the distance between the centre and the coordinate
3) Multiply the distance by the scale factor, k.
4) Measure the new length from the centre and note the coordinate where it ends
You can also note the length of the side of an object and multiply it by the scale factor
Practice question (Optional)
Parallelogram ABCD has vertices A(2,1) B(3,3) C(6,3) D(5,1)

1) Determine the image A’B’C’D’ upscale factor 2, where the origin is the centre of
enlargement
2) Determine the image A”B”C”D” scale factor ½, where the origin is the centre of
enlargement
3) Determine the image A”’B”’C”’D”’ scale factor -½ where the origin the centre of
enlargement