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MathsQuest12FurtherMathematics3ETI07Geometry:similarityandmensuration7GAreaandvolumescalefactors

07Geometry:similarityandmensuration

7GAreaandvolumescalefactors
Anunknownareaorvolumeofafigurecanbefoundwithouttheneedtouseknownformulassuchasin
exercises7Band7D.Wehaveseenthattwofiguresthataresimilarhaveallcorrespondinglengthsinthesame
ratioor(linear)scalefactor,k.Thesamecanbeshownfortheareaandvolumeoftwosimilarfigures.

Areaofsimilarfigures
Ifthelengthsofsimilarfiguresareintheratioa:bork,thentheareasofthesimilarshapesareintheratioa2:b2
ork 2.Followingareinvestigationstosupportthisrelationship.

Differentlengthratios(orscalefactors)ofasquare

Differentlengthratios(orscalefactors)ofacircle
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MathsQuest12FurtherMathematics3ETI07Geometry:similarityandmensuration7GAreaandvolumescalefactors

Fromtheabove,aslongastwofiguresaresimilar,thenthearearatioorscalefactoristhesquareofthelinear
scalefactor,k.Thesameappliesforthetotalsurfacearea.

Thestepsrequiredtosolveforlength,areaorvolume(investigatedlater)usingsimilarityare:
1.Clearlyidentifytheknowncorrespondingmeasurements(length,areaorvolume)ofthesimilarshape.
2.Establishascalefactor(linear,areaorvolume)usingknownmeasurements.
3.Converttoanappropriatescalefactortodeterminetheunknownmeasurement.
4.Usethescalefactorandratiotoevaluatetheunknown.

WORKEDEXAMPLE26
Forthetwosimilartrianglesshown,findthearea,xcm2,ofthesmalltriangle.

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MathsQuest12FurtherMathematics3ETI07Geometry:similarityandmensuration7GAreaandvolumescalefactors

THINK

WRITE

1 Determineascalefactor,in
thisinstancethelinearscale
factor,fromthetwo
correspondinglengthsgiven.It
ispreferredthattheunknown
triangleistheimage.

2 Determinetheareascale
factor.

3 Usetheareascalefactorto
findtheunknownarea.

4 Transposetheequationtoget
theunknownbyitself.
5 Writeyouranswer.

Theareaofthesmalltriangleis25cm2.

WORKEDEXAMPLE27
Forthetwosimilarshapesshown,findtheunknownlength,xcm.

THINK

WRITE

1 Determineascalefactor,in
thisinstancetheareascale
factor,asbothareasare
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MathsQuest12FurtherMathematics3ETI07Geometry:similarityandmensuration7GAreaandvolumescalefactors

known.Itispreferredthat
thetrianglewiththe
unknownisstatedasthe
image.

2 Determinethelinearscale
factor.

3 Usethelinearscalefactor
tofindtheunknownlength.

4 Transposetheequationto
gettheunknownbyitself.
5 Writeyouranswer.

Thelength,x,is10cm.

Volumeofsimilarfigures
Ifthelengthsofsimilarfiguresareintheratioa:bork,thenthevolumeofthesimilarshapesareintheratioa3:
b3ork 3.Thefollowingisaninvestigationoftwodifferentobjects,cubesandrectangularprisms.

Acube

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