The scale factor can change how big or small a figure is, though it will still be similar. For example, a triangle with two sides measuring 3 & 3 (isosceles) are scaled in a factor of 6 (becoming larger).
3 x 6 = 18
The new triangle will have the sides measuring 18. Even though the triangles are not congruent, they are similar.
The scale factor shows how much a figure is dilated. For example, if you have a square that has an area of 4, and it is dilated by a scale factor of 2, its area will become 8, or with a scale factor of 1/2, it will become 2/
