One triangle has side lengths 3,5, and 6. A similar triangle has side lengths 18, 15 and 9. Which of the following ratios is the scale factor of the triangles?
A 1/6
B 1/3
C 1/5
D 2/3
The answer is given as B, but I don't understand why or how to get that. Please help.
longest sides: 18/6 = 3
check
15/5 = 3 and 9/3 = 3
so
1/3
Thank you!
To find the scale factor between two similar triangles, we need to compare the corresponding side lengths of the triangles.
In the given problem, we are given two triangles:
Triangle 1 with side lengths 3, 5, and 6.
Triangle 2 with side lengths 18, 15, and 9.
We can compare the corresponding side lengths:
Corresponding sides: 3 and 18, 5 and 15, 6 and 9.
Now, to find the scale factor, we can take any two corresponding sides and divide the lengths.
Let's take the first corresponding sides: 3 and 18.
The scale factor is given by 18/3 = 6.
Therefore, the scale factor of the triangles is 6.
However, none of the available options match the scale factor of 6. This means there may be an error in the given answer choices.
To confirm, let's check the other corresponding sides:
For the second corresponding sides: 5 and 15.
The scale factor is given by 15/5 = 3.
Now we have found the scale factor, which is 3.
Since option B is 1/3, it matches the scale factor we found.
Therefore, the correct answer is B, 1/3.
It is important to note that when you encounter discrepancies or errors in given answer choices, it's always a good idea to check your calculations and reasoning to make sure you have found the correct answer.