Question

Find x and y for the following problem.

Answer 1

x = 5/4

y = 7/4

Explanation:

The smaller triangle and the larger one are similar, so the sides are proportional.

(x+5)/5 = 10/8

x/5 + 1 = 1/4 + 1 . . . . . divide it out

x/5 = 1/4 . . . . . . . . . . .subtract 1

x = 5/4 . . . . . . . . . . . . multiply by 5

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For y, you can do exactly the same computations, replacing every instance of 5 with a 7. Then you get ...

y = 7/4