GCSE Maths Practice: transformations

Question 5 of 10

Understand the effect of enlarging with a negative scale factor.

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\( \begin{array}{l}\text{What happens during an enlargement with a negative scale factor?}\end{array} \)

Choose one option:

Multiply side lengths by the absolute value, then reflect across the center.

When a shape is enlarged using a negative scale factor, each point is multiplied by the factor and reflected through the center of enlargement. For example, a scale factor of -2 doubles the size of the shape but also inverts it, producing a mirror image across the center. Understanding negative scale factors is important in similarity transformations, coordinate geometry, and mapping. Visualizing shapes before and after transformation helps. Practice applying negative scale factors to simple shapes to observe both enlargement and inversion effects.