Final answer:
The base of the original triangle is 15.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the base of the original triangle, we can use the scale factor and the reduced triangle's height. Since the scale factor is one-fifth, it means that the reduced triangle's height is one-fifth of the original triangle's height.
Given that the reduced triangle's height is 3, we can multiply it by the scale factor (one-fifth) to find the original triangle's height.
Original triangle's height = Reduced triangle's height * Scale factor = 3 * 5 = 15
Therefore, the base of the original triangle is 15.