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When an elliptical galaxy undergoes a transformation which satisfies several simple physical assumptions, then the resulting observable properties of the galaxy lie on a plane in the three dimensional space defined by effective radius, effective surface brightness, and central velocity dispersion. The angle between this plane and the observed Fundamental Plane of Galaxies is less than $15^{\circ}$, implying that most of any predicted change is projected along the fundamental plane. Monte--Carlo simulations of elliptical galaxies winding their way through a sea of target galaxies show that tidal stripping is probably not the sole cause of the observed dispersion about the fundamental plane of galaxies.
