What does dilation refer to in geometry?

Dilation in geometry specifically refers to a transformation that alters the size of a figure while maintaining its shape. During this process, every point of the original figure is moved along a line that runs from a fixed point, known as the center of dilation, either closer to or farther away from that center. When dilation leads to an increase in size, it is known as enlarging a shape. The scale factor determines how much the shape will increase or decrease in size, but the proportional relationships and angles within the shape remain unchanged.

While some other transformations, such as translations or reflections, involve rearranging positions or flipping figures, these do not specifically alter the size of the shape, which is why they are not related to the concept of dilation.