Question

a picture of a family crest is 4.2 inches wide. the family needs a reduced copy for the front page of the family newsletter. the copy must fit in a space 1.5 inches wide. what scale factor should be used on the copy machine to adjust the size of the picture of the crest?
the appropriate scale factor is
(simplify your answer. round to two decimal places as needed.)

Explanation:

Step1: Recall the formula for scale factor

The scale factor \(k\) is given by the formula \(k=\frac{\text{new length}}{\text{original length}}\).

Step2: Identify the new and original lengths

The original width of the picture (\(w_{o}\)) is \(4.2\) inches and the new width (\(w_{n}\)) is \(1.5\) inches.

Step3: Calculate the scale factor

Substitute the values into the formula: \(k = \frac{1.5}{4.2}\).

$$k=\frac{1.5}{4.2}=\frac{15}{42}=\frac{5}{14}\approx0.36$$

Answer:

\(0.36\)