Similarity

Similarity in right triangles

Previous Knowledge

 Figures that are similar (~) have the same shape but not necessarily the same size.
 Two polygons are similar if and only if their corresponding angles are congruent and their corresponding
side lengths are proportional
 When you set a proportion, make sure that you are comparing the figures in the same order.
SIMILARITY IN RIGHT
TRIANGLES
VOCABULARY

 Right Triangle: Triangle with exactly 1 right (90°) angle

 Altitude: Special segment of a triangle from one vertex to the opposite side perpendicularly.
 Geometric Mean: is the positive square root of the product of 2 positive numbers.
 Project

How are geometric means related to the altitude of a right triangle?

 You need: rectangular piece of paper • ruler • scissors • colored pencils
Project

green
Red

blue
Project

 1. How are the two smaller right triangles related to the large triangle?
 2. Explain how you would show that the big triangle is similar to the small triangle.
  3. Explain how you would show that the small triangle is similar to the medium triangle.


 4. The geometric mean of a and b is x if Write a proportion involving the side lengths of two of your
triangles so that one side length is the geometric mean of the other two lengths in the proportion.
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Similarity in right
Triangles
Identify Similar Right Triangles

Watch Pearson´s explanation

https://www.savvasrealize.com/community/program/a644b293-e84c-31fb-b83e-
f54e6edc1d18/20/tier/294e7785-548b-3144-b3a3-45ad473a2b38/21/lesson/5c4b4181-a982-3736-b5e7-
2d30c832e139/18/content/44bf37cb-2be4-3aba-9d1f-40ff6b334134/23

Exercise:
Finding Geometric Means

 Consider the proportion In this case, the means of the proportion are the same number, and that number is
the geometric mean of the extremes.
  
 The geometric mean of two positive numbers is the positive square root of their product.
 So the geometric mean of a and b is the positive number x such that x = √ab, or x² = ab
Finding Geometric Means
Geometric Means

 You can use the theorem to write proportions comparing the side lengths of the triangles formed by the
altitude to the hypotenuse of a right triangle.
 All the relations in red involve geometric means
Geometric Means - Corollaries
In other words – Geometric Means Corollaries
Finding Side Lengths in Right triangles
Exercises