What term refers to the changing of a shape in various ways, possibly altering its size?

The term that refers to the changing of a shape in various ways, which may involve altering its size, is geometric transformation. This concept encompasses various operations that can be applied to a shape, including translation, rotation, scaling (which changes size), and reflection. Each of these transformations modifies the shape's position or size in a systematic way, which is crucial for understanding how figures relate to one another in geometry.

For instance, when a shape is scaled, it retains its proportions while increasing or decreasing in size, which perfectly fits the description of altering its size. This flexibility in geometric transformations allows for the exploration of relationships between shapes, symmetry, and creative designs in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional spaces. Therefore, geometric transformation is the correct term for describing the various changes that can be applied to a shape.