8. Proportions and Similar Figures
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Create a ratio for the original triangle of the height to the base. Then, use the similarity of the triangles to write a proportion.
The scale factor tells you how many times larger the enlarged triangle is.
32.5 centimeters
1:2.5
To begin, we will create a ratio that relates the given base and height of the original triangle.
Height/Base ⇒ 7 cm/13 cm
Cross multiply
Multiply
.LHS /7.=.RHS /7.
The base of the enlarged triangle will be 32.5 centimeters.
The scale factor tells us by how many times the triangle has been enlarged. By dividing two of the corresponding sides in the triangles, we can determine the scale factor. Any pair of corresponding sides will do.