Using the side lengths of rectangle ABCD and rectangle EFGH, find the scale factor needed to transform from one shape to the other

a=(-10,6)
b=(-10,-2)
c=(-6,-2)
d=(-6,6)
e=(-5,3)
f=(-5,-1)
g=(-3,-1)
h=(-3,3)

1 answer

To find the scale factor needed to transform rectangle ABCD into rectangle EFGH using the given corner points, we first need to calculate the side lengths of both rectangles.

Rectangle ABCD:

  • Points:
    • A(-10, 6)
    • B(-10, -2)
    • C(-6, -2)
    • D(-6, 6)
  1. Calculate the lengths of the sides of rectangle ABCD:

    • Length AB (vertical side) = |y-coordinate A - y-coordinate B| = |6 - (-2)| = |6 + 2| = 8
    • Length AD (horizontal side) = |x-coordinate A - x-coordinate D| = |-10 - (-6)| = |-10 + 6| = 4
  2. Side lengths of rectangle ABCD:

    • Length = 8 (vertical), Width = 4 (horizontal)

Rectangle EFGH:

  • Points:
    • E(-5, 3)
    • F(-5, -1)
    • G(-3, -1)
    • H(-3, 3)
  1. Calculate the lengths of the sides of rectangle EFGH:

    • Length EF (vertical side) = |y-coordinate E - y-coordinate F| = |3 - (-1)| = |3 + 1| = 4
    • Length EH (horizontal side) = |x-coordinate E - x-coordinate H| = |-5 - (-3)| = |-5 + 3| = 2
  2. Side lengths of rectangle EFGH:

    • Length = 4 (vertical), Width = 2 (horizontal)

Finding the Scale Factor: The scale factor can be determined by comparing the corresponding side lengths of the two rectangles:

  • For the vertical sides: \[ \text{Scale factor} = \frac{\text{Length of EFGH}}{\text{Length of ABCD}} = \frac{4}{8} = \frac{1}{2} \]

  • For the horizontal sides: \[ \text{Scale factor} = \frac{\text{Width of EFGH}}{\text{Width of ABCD}} = \frac{2}{4} = \frac{1}{2} \]

Since both calculations yield the same scale factor, the transformation scale factor from rectangle ABCD to rectangle EFGH is \(\frac{1}{2}\).