How do you enlarge a square by a scale factor of 1.5?

To enlarge a square by a scale factor of 1.5, multiply each side length by 1.5.

When you enlarge a square by a scale factor, you are essentially increasing the size of the square while maintaining its shape. A scale factor of 1.5 means that each side of the square will be 1.5 times its original length. For example, if the original square has a side length of 4 cm, the new side length will be 4 cm × 1.5 = 6 cm.

To visualise this, imagine drawing a square on graph paper. If the original square covers 4 squares along each side, the enlarged square will cover 6 squares along each side. This enlargement affects not only the side lengths but also the area of the square. The area of the original square is calculated by squaring the side length (side length × side length). So, for a side length of 4 cm, the area is 4 cm × 4 cm = 16 cm². For the enlarged square with a side length of 6 cm, the area is 6 cm × 6 cm = 36 cm².

In summary, to enlarge a square by a scale factor of 1.5, simply multiply the length of each side by 1.5. This will give you the new dimensions of the square, and you can then calculate the new area if needed. This method ensures that the shape remains a square, just a larger one.