Question

Perimeter of one triangle is 5 8 of the perimeter of a similar triangle. The difference of the lengths of two corresponding sides is 9m. What are the lengths of these sides?

Answer 1

The side lengths are 15 m and 24 m

Explanation:

I like to work these in terms of "ratio units" and what they stand for.

If the ratio of side lengths is 5 : 8, the difference in ratio units is 8-5 = 3. That difference of 3 ratio units stands for a difference in actual side lengths of 9 m, so each ratio unit must represent 3 m.

Then the triangle sides are ...

5·(3 m) = 15 m

8·(3 m) = 24 m