GCSE Maths Practice: congruence-and-similarity

Question 2 of 10

This question deals with reducing a shape by a scale factor. Students must calculate the new side length accurately.

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\( \begin{array}{l}\text{A shape is reduced by a scale factor of 0.5. }\\ \text{An original side was 8 cm.}\\ \text{Find the new side length.}\end{array} \)

Choose one option:

Multiply original length by scale factor. Check factor <1 for reduction.

When a shape is reduced, its sides are multiplied by a scale factor less than 1. Here, the original side is 8 cm and the scale factor is 0.5. So, the new side is 8 × 0.5 = 4 cm. Understanding reductions and enlargements allows students to solve similarity problems, draw scaled diagrams, and work with maps and models. It's important to always use the correct corresponding sides and apply the scale factor consistently. Angles remain the same even when sides are scaled. Mastery of scale factors enables solving proportional reasoning problems effectively in GCSE geometry.