If the sides of a square are halved, then the new area formed is _____ times the area of the square.

Consider x as the side of the square.

The area of a square = side × side = $\mathrm{x}\times \mathrm{x}={\mathrm{x}}^2$

If the sides are halved, we get a new side = $\frac{\mathrm{x}}{2}$

So, the new area of the square = ${\left(\frac{\mathrm{x}}{2}\right)}^2$ =$\frac{{\mathrm{x}}^2}{4}$

Therefore, the new area formed is $\frac{1}{4}$ times the area of the square.