Answer: 6 square inches
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Explanation:
Dividing the side lengths, the scale factor is 6/3 = 2. This means the larger figure has a side length twice as long compared to its smaller counterpart.
How can we use this to figure out how the areas are connected? By simply squaring the scale factor to get 2^2 = 2*2 = 4, then we divide the larger area over 4 to get 24/4 = 6.
The longer side is 2 times longer
The larger area is 4 times larger
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Let's say we had a 3 by 3 square. It's area would be 9.
Also, let's say we had a 6 by 6 square. It's area is 36.
Notice the ratio of areas is 36/9 = 4, so the larger square is 4 times larger than the smaller. This 4 matches with what we got earlier.
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Another example:
square A is 7 by 7 with area 49
square B is 21 by 21 with area 441
ratio of areas is 441/49 = 9, which is exactly equal to 3^2, and the 3 comes from the ratio of the sides 21/7 = 3.
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So in short, you find the linear scale factor by dividing the sides. Then you square the result to get the area scale factor, which you use to find the smaller area.
linear scale factor = (new side)/(old side)
area scale factor = (linear scale factor)^2
smaller area = (larger area)/(area scale factor)
