If you use a scale factor of 15 to create a circle with radius 18 cm, what is the radius of the original circle you dilated?

1 answer

To find the radius of the original circle before dilation, you can use the relationship between the scale factor and the radius of the dilated circle.

The formula to find the radius of the original circle (r_original) is:

\[ r_{original} = \frac{r_{dilated}}{scale\ factor} \]

Given:

  • \( r_{dilated} = 18 , \text{cm} \)
  • \( scale\ factor = 15 \)

Now substitute the values into the formula:

\[ r_{original} = \frac{18 , \text{cm}}{15} \]

Calculating this gives:

\[ r_{original} = \frac{18}{15} = 1.2 , \text{cm} \]

Thus, the radius of the original circle is 1.2 cm.