Similar Triangles

Similar shapes
• Are Enlargements of each
other
• Corresponding angles are
equal
• Sides are related by the
same scale factor
Similar Triangles
Triangles are similar if matching
100º angles remain the same size.
30º
50º

100º

30º
50º
Show that these triangles are
similar
10º

50º 120º

120º
10º
50º
 To calculate a length

5
15 4
5x 3 6 x3
Scale factor 3

15
1 12
3
18
Scale factor 1/3
 Harder example
A
3
4
D E
6

C
B

Triangle ABC is similar to triangle ADE.

DE is parallel to BC.

Calculate the length of BC

 Harder example
A
3
4 E
D 9

C
B 12
9x 3
3
Proportions
What are proportions?
- If two ratios are equal, they
form a proportion. Proportions can
be used in geometry when working
with similar figures. 1 4
= 1:3 = 3:9
2 8
Please remember this!!!
What do we mean by similar?
- Similar describes things which
have the same shape but are not
the same size.
 Examples
These two stick figures are
similar. As you can see both
are the same shape. However,
the bigger stick figure’s
dimensions are exactly twice
the smaller. 8 feet

So the ratio of the smaller

figure to the larger figure is 4 feet
1:2 (said “one to two”). This
can also be written as a
fraction of ½.

A proportion can be made 2 feet

relating the height and the
width of the smaller figure to 4 feet
4 ft 8 ft
the larger figure: =
2 ft 4 ft
Solving Proportional Problems

So how do we use
proportions and
similar figures? 8 feet

4 feet
Using the previous
example we can
show how to solve
for an unknown 2 feet
dimension.
? feet
Solving Proportion Problems
First, designate the unknown
side as x. Then, set up an
equation using proportions.
What does the numerator
represent? What does the
denominator represent?
8 feet
4 ft 8 ft
=
4 feet
2 ft x ft

Then solve for x by cross

multiplying:
2 feet
4x = 16
? feet
X=4
 Try One Yourself

Knowing these two

stick figures are
similar to each
other, what is the
8 feet 12 feet ratio between the
smaller figure to
the larger figure?

4 feet
Set up a proportion.
x feet What is the width
of the larger stick
figure?
Example: Finding Side Lengths on Similar
Triangles
Write a proportion involving corresponding sides with one unknown :
• Triangles ABC • To find side
and DEF are DE: 32 64
similar. Find the 
lengths of the 16 x
unknown sides in
triangle DEF. 32 x  1024
D
x  32
A
32
16
35° 112° • To find side
32 48
64 F E
FE: 
32 24 16 x
C
112° 33°
B 32 x  768
48
x  24
Example: Application of Similar
Triangles
• A lighthouse • The two triangles
casts a shadow are similar, so
64 m long. At the corresponding
same time, the sides are in
shadow cast by a proportion, so:
mailbox 3 m high 3 x
is 4 m long. Find 
the height of the
lighthouse.
4 64
4 x  192
3 x  48
4 • The lighthouse is
48 m high.
x

64
 Proportions and Triangles
What are the unknown values on
these triangles?
First, write proportions relating the
two triangles.

20 m 4m 3m 4m ym
= =
16 m 16 m xm 16 m 20 m

Solve for the unknown by cross

multiplying.
xm
4x = 48 16y = 80
ym
x = 12 y=5
4m

3m
 Triangles in the Real World
Do you know how tall your school building is?
There is an easy way to find out using right triangles.

To do this create two similar triangles

using the building, its shadow, a
smaller object with a known height
(like a yardstick), and its shadow.
The two shadows can be measured,
and you know the height of the yard
stick. So you can set up similar
triangles and solve for the height of
the building.
 Solving for the Building’s
Height
Here is a sample building
calculation for the
height of a building:
x ft 48 ft x feet
=
3 ft 4 ft
48 feet
4x = 144
yardstick
x = 36 3 feet

The height of the building is 36 4 feet

feet.