Problem Solving with Similar Triangles

Front

What is a similar triangle?

Back

A similar triangle is a triangle that has the same shape as another triangle but may differ in size. The corresponding angles are equal, and the lengths of corresponding sides are proportional.

Front

What is the hypotenuse of a right triangle?

Back

The hypotenuse is the longest side of a right triangle, opposite the right angle.

Front

How do you find the height of an object using similar triangles?

Back

You can use the properties of similar triangles to set up a proportion between the height of the object and the length of its shadow, compared to a known height and shadow length.

Front

If two triangles are similar, what can be said about their corresponding angles?

Back

The corresponding angles of similar triangles are equal.

Front

If two triangles are similar, what can be said about their corresponding sides?

Back

The corresponding sides of similar triangles are in proportion.

Front

What is the formula for finding the height of a tree using similar triangles?

Back

Height of tree / Length of tree's shadow = Height of person / Length of person's shadow.

Front

Find x if the triangles are similar and the sides are in the ratio 2:3. If one side is 4, what is the corresponding side in the other triangle?

Back

6 (since 4 is to x as 2 is to 3, x = 4 * (3/2)).

Front

What is the relationship between the sides of a right triangle according to the Pythagorean theorem?

Back

In a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides.

Front

How do you round a number to the nearest hundredth?

Back

Look at the third decimal place. If it is 5 or greater, round up the second decimal place by one. If it is less than 5, keep the second decimal place the same.

Front

If a man 6 feet tall casts a shadow of 4 feet when he is 8 feet from a street light, how do you find the height of the street light?

Back

Set up a proportion: Height of light / Length of light's shadow = Height of man / Length of man's shadow.