What term describes the process of an object causing a change in size without changing its location?

The term that best describes the process of an object causing a change in size without changing its location is dilation. Dilation refers specifically to the transformation that alters the size of a geometric figure while maintaining its shape and position in space. In this process, the figure can be enlarged or reduced based on a scale factor, but it does not move from its original place.

Expansion and contraction typically refer to physical changes in size due to temperature or pressure changes and are often associated with the material properties of objects rather than a mathematical or geometric transformation. Compression, while related to a reduction in size, typically implies that the object is being physically pressed or squeezed, which can also change its location depending on the forces applied.

In the context of mathematics and geometry, dilation is the precise term to use when discussing size changes that maintain the object's overall position and shape, making it the correct answer to the question.