Similar Triangles

In this Gizmotm, you can experiment with similar figures of many shapes and sizes. You will begin with a pair of
similar shapes. You will be able to resize, rotate, and reshape the figures., but they will always remain similar.

1. The first figures you should see are triangles, a green triangle at the lower left, and a pink one at the top

right. (If the figures that you see are not triangles, click at the top left corner.) Notice that the two
triangles are the same size and shape.
a. Vary Rotation, in degrees using the slider. What does this do to the pink triangle? Are the triangles still the
same size? Are they still the same shape?
b. Use the other slider to vary the scale factor. How does this affect the pink triangle? Are the triangles still
the same size? Are they still the same shape?
c. Click Show angle measures at the bottom left corner. What do you notice about corresponding angle
measures of similar figures?
d. Vary the scale factor and rotation. Is your observation about angle measures still true? Explain.

2. Make sure that you have chosen as the figure type. Select Show lengths at the bottom right corner. Set
the scale factor to 3.
a. What is the ratio of EF to AB? What is the ratio of FG to BC? What is the ratio of GE to CA?
b. Rewrite each of these ratios in simplest form. What do you notice? How does the result compare to the
scale factor?
c. Change the scale factor and calculate each of these ratios again. What does the scale factor tell you about
corresponding side lengths of similar figures?
3. Experiment further with the similar triangles by dragging the vertices of either triangle to reshape it.
a. As you reshape one triangle, what happens to the other one triangle?
b. Select Show angle measures. What can you say about corresponding angles?
c. Select Show lengths. What can you say about corresponding side lengths?
More Similar Figures
1. Use the buttons at the top left of the Gizmo to explore other figure types.
a. What do you notice about the corresponding angle measures of each pair of figures?
b. What do you notice about corresponding side lengths of each pair of figures?
c. Using the sliders, vary the scale factor and rotation of each pair of similar figures. Also try reshaping the
figures by dragging their vertices. Are your observations about the corresponding angle measures and side
lengths still true?

2. Click on . Adjust the green trapezoid so that it has side lengths 12, 8, 20, and 8. Set the scale factor to
2.0.
a. What are the side lengths of the pink trapezoid?
b. What do you think the side lengths of the pink trapezoid will be if you set the scale factor to 0.5? Use the
Gizmo to check your answer.

3. Click on at the bottom right of the figure choices. Adjust the green quadrilateral so it has the following
side lengths: AB = 7, BC = 8, CD = 14, and DA = 11.
a. What would you have to set the scale factor to so that GH = 24?
b. What would HE be in that case? Use the Gizmo to check your answers.