Similar Triangles Analysis: Compare Triangles with Sides 6:3 and 4:2

Triangle Similarity with Proportional Sides

Are the triangles below similar?

666222444333111222AAABBBCCCDDDEEEFFF

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Step-by-step video solution

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00:00 Are the triangles similar?
00:04 Let's check the ratio of sides
00:10 If all side ratios are equal, then they are similar
00:15 Let's make sure to check the corresponding sides in the triangles
00:24 All corresponding side ratios are equal, therefore they are similar
00:30 And this is the solution to the question

Step-by-step written solution

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1

Understand the problem

Are the triangles below similar?

666222444333111222AAABBBCCCDDDEEEFFF

2

Step-by-step solution

To determine if the triangles ABC and DEF are similar, we need to examine the ratios of corresponding sides.

  • Side AC (6) corresponds to side DF (3).
  • Side BC (4) corresponds to side EF (2).
  • Side AB (2) corresponds to side DE (1).

We calculate the ratios of corresponding sides:

  • ACDF=63=2\frac{AC}{DF} = \frac{6}{3} = 2
  • BCEF=42=2\frac{BC}{EF} = \frac{4}{2} = 2
  • ABDE=21=2\frac{AB}{DE} = \frac{2}{1} = 2

All the corresponding side ratios are equal to 2, indicating that the sides of triangle ABC are proportional to the sides of triangle DEF by a common ratio. According to the Side-Side-Side (SSS) similarity criterion, this means the triangles are similar.

Therefore, the triangles are indeed similar. The correct answer is Yes.

3

Final Answer

Yes

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic
  • Similarity Rule: All three pairs of corresponding sides must be proportional
  • Technique: Calculate ratios: 6/3 = 4/2 = 2/1 = 2
  • Check: If all ratios equal the same value, triangles are similar ✓

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors
  • Comparing sides without identifying corresponding pairs
    Don't just compare any side to any other side = wrong similarity conclusion! This ignores the triangle orientation and vertex labeling. Always match corresponding sides based on vertex positions: longest to longest, shortest to shortest.

Practice Quiz

Test your knowledge with interactive questions

1027.51.5The two parallelograms above are similar. The ratio between their sides is 3:4.

What is the ratio between the the areas of the parallelograms?

FAQ

Everything you need to know about this question

How do I know which sides correspond to each other?

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Look at the vertex labels and side lengths! The longest side in one triangle corresponds to the longest side in the other. In this problem: AC (6) ↔ DF (3), BC (4) ↔ EF (2), AB (2) ↔ DE (1).

What if only two ratios are equal?

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All three ratios must be equal for similarity! If only two match, the triangles are not similar. This is the SSS similarity criterion - all sides must be proportional.

Does the order of the ratio matter?

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Yes! Always write ratios consistently. Either Triangle 1 : Triangle 2 for all pairs, or Triangle 2 : Triangle 1 for all pairs. Mixing orders will give wrong conclusions.

Can triangles be similar with different orientations?

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Absolutely! Similar triangles can be rotated, flipped, or scaled. Focus on the side lengths and their ratios, not the visual position of the triangles.

What does the common ratio tell me?

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The common ratio is the scale factor! In this problem, triangle ABC is exactly 2 times larger than triangle DEF in all dimensions.

Do I need to check angles too?

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No! If all three pairs of corresponding sides are proportional (SSS), the triangles are automatically similar and their corresponding angles are equal.

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