Geometry Ch 6 Notes: Similarity DRHS 2021

6.1 Notes: Dilations and Scale Factor

Objectives:
 Students will be able to classify dilations as enlargements or reductions.
 Students will be able to find the scale factor of a dilation.

Exploration #1: Use the following link to explore dilations: https://www.geogebra.org/m/waP9naNC

Follow the directions below.
 Click on the slider to make the scale factor = 2. What do you notice about the size of the sides of the
image and preimage?

 Move the slider of the scale factor to ½. What do you notice?

 Make a conjecture (“guess”) about what scale factor tells you about the image of a dilation.

If a figure is dilated, then image has

the same _____________ as the pre-
Dilation (centered
at the origin) image, but the _________ can be
different.
The scale factor of a dilation is a image
Scale Factor:
pre−image
_________ that is the multiplier for
Scale Factor ( k ) of the sides of the pre-image to get the Reduction:
a Dilation
lengths of the sides of the image. We
Enlargement:
use k for scale factor.

Examples 1 – 2: Use the diagram of the dilation shown, which is centered at the origin.
1) Is this dilation a reduction or an enlargement?

2) Find the scale factor of the dilation.

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You try! #3 – 4: Use the diagram of the dilation shown, which is

centered at the origin.
3) Is this dilation a reduction or an enlargement?

4) Find the scale factor of the dilation.

Example 5: Multiple choice. Which statement below is true for the

dilation shown below?
A) It is an enlargement; the scale factor is k =2.
1
B) It is an enlargement; the scale factor is k = .
2
C) It is a reduction; the scale factor is k =2.
1
D) It is a reduction; the scale factor is k = .
2

You try! 6) Multiple choice. A figure is dilated. Which scale factor below shows a reduction?
7 1
A) k =6 B) k = C) k = D) k =−3
6 2

Examples 7 – 10: ∆ ABC is dilated. Given the lengths below, find the scale factor of the dilation.
Also, classify each dilation as a reduction or an enlargement.
7) AB=8 ; A' B' =32 8) BC=24 ; B' C' =9

You try!
9) AC=14 ; A ' B' =7 10) AB=18 ; A ' B' =12

Exploration #2: Use the following link to explore the coordinates of a dilation centered at the origin.
https://www.geogebra.org/m/d6HBmDNZ
 Click on the slider, and set the scale factor to 2. Compare the coordinates of the image and the
pre-image. What do you notice?

1
 Click on the slider, and set the scale factor to 2 . Compare the coordinates of the image and the
pre-image. What do you notice?

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For any dilation centered at

Coordinate
the origin, the coordinates of
s of a the image can be found by
dilation
centered at
___________ the coordinates
the origin of the pre-image by the
__________ __________.

Examples: For #11 – 14, find the coordinates of the image of ∆ ABC after a dilation with
the given scale factor. Given: A (−6 , 4 ) ; B ( 3 ,−2 ) ;C (−1 ,0)

1
11) k =2 12) k = 3

You try!
1
13) k = 2 14) k =−5

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6.2 Notes: Similar Figures

Objectives:
 Students will be able to identify similar figures.
 Students will be able to solve problems involving similar figures.
 Students will be able to find the scale factor between similar figures.

Exploration #1: Use the following link to explore similar figures:

https://www.geogebra.org/m/mVYrt5u9
 Click on the slider in order to change the size of the image of the similar figures.

 As you adjust the size of the image, what do you notice about the angles?

 Compare the ratios made by corresponding sides on the right side of the screen. What do you notice?

If two figures are similar, then

they have the same
Similar _____________, but not
Figures
necessarily the same
~ _____________.
Note: we could think of similar figures
as the result of a dilation.
Given: ∆ ABC ∆≝.
Correspondin With similar figures, the
g Angles of corresponding angles are
Similar
Figures _____________.

The corresponding sides of

Correspondin similar figures are

g Sides of ________________ .
Similar
Note that each ratio is equivalent to the A similarity statement correlates the
Figures
_____________ ____________.
congruent angles and proportional sides.

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Geometry Ch 6 Notes: Similarity DRHS 2021

Examples 1 – 3: Given that ∆ ABC ∆ QRS .

1) Write a proportion
comparing the sides of the two triangles.

2) What is the scale factor of ∆ ABC ¿ ∆ QRS?

3) What is the scale factor of ∆ QRS ¿ ∆ ABC ?

You Try! #4 – 6: Given that ABCD ~ GHEF.

4) Write a proportion comparing the sides of the quadrilaterals.

5) What is the scale factor of

ABCD to GHEF?

6) What is the scale factor of GHEF to ABCD?

Examples 7 – 8, find the scale factor (small figure to large figure) for each set of similar
figures below.
7) Given: AEDH ~ KIBJ You try! 8) Given: ∆≝ ∆ BAC

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Examples 9 – 12: Given each pair of similar figures, find the requested side.
9) Find DE if ∆ CBA ∆ EFD . 10) Find ML if ∆ IJK ∆ LMK .

You try #11 – 12!

11) Find KL if KLRS ~ QPNM. 12) Find GH if ∆ EFI ∆ HGD .

Examples #13 – 15: Given that JMLK ADCB .

13) Find m∠ M . 14) Find m∠C .

15) Find the length of JM .

You Try! Examples #16 – 18: Given that ∆ BCE ∆ DFA .

16) Find x. 17) Find y.

18) Find z.

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6.3 Notes: Proving Similar Triangles

Objectives:
 Students will be able to decide if triangles are similar.
 Students will be able to solve problems similar triangles.

Explorations: Use the following links to explore similar triangles: Follow the directions below.

 #1: https://www.geogebra.org/m/DfZCQQAa What happens when two triangles have proportional

sides?

 #2: https://www.geogebra.org/m/Ksvpuvds What happens two triangles have two pairs of congruent
angles?

 #3: https://www.geogebra.org/m/jE9AKzZp What happens when two triangles have 2 pairs of

proportional sides and one pair of congruent included angles?

If two triangles have three pairs

of _________________________
SSS~
sides, then the triangles are
Postulate
similar.

If two sides in one triangle are

______________________ to two
SAS~ sides in another triangle, and if
Theorem their included angles are
_________________, then the
triangles are similar.

If two angles in one triangle are

_______________ to two angles
AA~
in another triangle, then the
Postulate
triangles are similar.

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Examples 1 – 8: Are the pair of triangles shown similar? If so, by what postulate or theorem?
Choose from SSS ~, SAS ~, or AA ~.

1) 2)

3) 4)

You try #5 – 8!
5) 6)

7) 8)

Examples #9 – 14: Find the value of the variable.

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9) 10) If AB=10 , find f .

You try #12!

11) Given that ΔRST ΔDCB , find x. 12) Find b.

You try #13 – 14!

13) Find x. 14) Find x.
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Geometry Ch 6 Notes: Similarity DRHS 2021

15)

6.4 Notes: Proportional Parts

Objectives:
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Geometry Ch 6 Notes: Similarity DRHS 2021

 Students will use proportional parts of triangles to solve problems.

 Students will use similar triangles to solve problems.

Guided Exploration: Consider the diagram below. Reminder: If two lines are //, then corresponding angles
are congruent.

1) Mark any congruent angles.

2) Which triangles are similar in the diagram?

3) Find the scale factor (small to big)

4) Use a proportion to find the lengths of AD and AC.

Examples 1 – 4: For each diagram, find the missing variable.

1) 2)

You try #3 and #4!

3) 4)

Guided Exploration #2: Consider the diagram shown, which has two similar triangles by AA~.

a) Find the scale factor of ∆ ABC ¿ ∆ AED .

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 Geometry Ch 6 Notes: Similarity DRHS 2021

b) Find the lengths of CD∧BE .

AC
∧ AB
c) Find the ratio of CD What do you notice?
.
BE

BC
d) Find the ratio of ? Is it the same as your answer for part c? for part a?
DE

If a triangle has two sides

intersected by a line parallel to the
Triangle 3rd side of the triangle, then the AD AE
If DE // BC, then DB = EC .
Proportionality intersected sides are split into
Theorem
_________________________
_____________________. Note: the parallel sides are not
proportional to these parts. The
parallel sides are proportional to the
scale factor of the similar triangles,
which is not the same ratio.

Examples #5 – 11, find each missing variable.

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Geometry Ch 6 Notes: Similarity DRHS 2021

5) 6)

You try #7 and #8!

7) 8)

9) 10)

You try! 11) Find d and e.

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Geometry Ch 6 Notes: Similarity DRHS 2021

6.5 Perimeter & Area of Similar Polygons

Essential Questions: How can you use proportions to find area and perimeter of similar figures?

If ∆ ABC ∆≝¿,
a. find the missing sides,
b. find the perimeter of each triangle, and
c. find the area of each triangle.

Perimeter & Area of Similar Polygons

The squares shown are similar.
What is their scale factor (ratio of sides)? ___________ 5 in

What is the perimeter of Square #1? ____________

What is the perimeter of Square #2? ____________ 8 in

Find ratio of the perimeters: _________

How does this compare to the scale factor?
What is the area of Square #1? ___________
What is the area of Square #2? ___________
Find the ratio of the areas (square #1 to square #2): __________
How does this compare to the scale factor? _____________

Scale Factor = Ratio of _____________________ = Ratio of _________________

(*The scale factor of dilation signifies what multiplier is needed to turn the pre-image into the image.)
Polygons are similar when their corresponding angles are equal and their corresponding sides are in
the same proportion. Just as their corresponding sides are in the same proportion, perimeters and areas
of similar polygons have a special relationship.

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Geometry Ch 6 Notes: Similarity DRHS 2021

Perimeter of If the ratio of two polygons is m: n, then the ratio of their

Similar Polygons perimeters is also m: n.

Area of Similar If the ratio of two polygons is m: n, then the ratio of their
Polygons areas is m2 : n2.

Example 1:
For each pair of similar figures, find the ratio of the perimeter and area.

a. b.

Example 2:
AB BC AC
If triangle ∆ ABC ∆ EFG , then = = or _____ = ______ = ______.
EF FG EG

Each ratio is equivalent to ________.

The scale factor (ratio of sides) of ∆ ABC to ∆ EFG is _______.

What is the ratio of the perimeter of ∆ EFG to ∆ ABC ? __________

Example 3:
The perimeter of ∆ ABC is 12 and ∆ ABC ∆ XYZ . Find the perimeter of ∆ XYZ if the scale
factor of ∆ ABC to ∆ XYZ is 2:3.

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Example 4:
The perimeter of ∆ ABC is 27 and ∆ ABC ∆ XYZ. Find the scale factor of ∆ ABC ¿ ∆ XYZ
if the perimeter of ∆ XYZ is 15.

Example 5:
Two rectangles are similar, and their scale factor is 3:5.
a) What is the ratio of their areas?

b) What is the area of the smaller rectangle if the larger rectangle has an area of 50 m2?

Example 6:
Two similar triangles have a ratio of areas of 25:64.
a) Find the ratio of their sides, small to large.

b) Find the ratio of their perimeters, large to small.

Example 7:
Two triangles are similar and the ratio of each pair of corresponding sides
is 2 :1. Which statement regarding the two triangles is not true? Assume that each ratio represents the
larger triangle first.

A. Their areas have a ratio of 4 :1

B. The scale factor is a ratio of 2 :1
C. Their perimeters have a ratio of 2 :1
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Geometry Ch 6 Notes: Similarity DRHS 2021

D. Their corresponding angles have a ratio of 2 :1

Example 8:
16
The ratios of the areas of square A to square B is . If the area of square B is 100 cm2 ,
25
what is the length of a side of square A ?

A. 4 cm B. 8 cm

C. 10 cm D. 64 cm

Example 9:
A school playground is similar in shape to the community park. You can mow 250 square yards of
grass in 15 minutes. How long would it take you to mow the grass on the playground?

Ch 6 Study Guide
 6.1:
o Dilations of figures.
image
 Scale factor =
pre−image
 Coordinates of the image of a dilation centered at the origin can be found by
multiplying the coordinates of the pre-image by the scale factor.
 Enlargement: scale factor >1
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 Reduction: 0 < scale factor <1

 6.2:
o Similar figures have the same shape, but not necessarily the same size.
o Corresponding angles of similar figures are congruent.
o Corresponding sides of similar figures are proportional.
o Scale factor = ratio of corresponding sides (reduced)

 6.3:
o Methods to prove that triangles are similar are:
 SSS~ (all three pairs of corresponding sides are proportional)
 SAS~ (two pairs of corresponding sides are proportional, and the included
angles are congruent)
 AA~ (two pairs of angles are congruent.)
o To solve for a missing side: set up a proportion with the corresponding sides
o To solve for a missing angle: set it equal to its corresponding angle
 6.4:
o Similar triangles are formed when a triangle is intersected by a line parallel to one
side.
o Triangle Proportionality Theorem: If two sides of a triangle are intersected by a line
parallel to the 3rd side, then the intersected sides are split into proportional parts.
 Note: the parallel sides are not proportional to those parts.
 Note: the parallel sides are proportional to the scale factor of the similar
triangles.

 6.5
o Scale factor is equal to the ratio of sides which is equal to the ratio of perimeters
o The ratio of areas is equal to the ratio of perimeters squared
o Set up a proportion to solve for missing side, perimeter, or area

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