If you would like to dilate a square with a side length of 8 units to create a square with a side length of 20 units, what scale factor should you use? Write your answer in decimal form.

Answer 1

To find the scale factor for dilating a square from a side length of 8 units to a side length of 20 units, you can use the formula for the scale factor:

\[ \text{Scale Factor} = \frac{\text{New Side Length}}{\text{Original Side Length}} \]

Substituting the given values:

\[ \text{Scale Factor} = \frac{20}{8} \]

Calculating this:

\[ \text{Scale Factor} = 2.5 \]

Thus, the scale factor you should use is 2.5.