Question

The right triangle on the right is a scaled copy of the right triangle on the left. Identify the scale factor. Express your answer as a whole number or fraction in simplest form.

Answer 1

To find the scale factor between two similar right triangles, compare the lengths of corresponding sides and set up a proportion. The scale factor is the ratio of a side of the smaller triangle to the corresponding side of the larger triangle, after ensuring both are in the same units.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves finding a scale factor between two similar right triangles. A scale factor is the ratio of any two corresponding lengths in two similar geometric figures.

In this case, since the triangles are right triangles and are scaled copies of each other, we need to compare the lengths of corresponding sides to determine the scale factor.

To find the scale factor, you can set up a proportion comparing the lengths of a side of the smaller triangle to the corresponding side of the larger triangle. If the smaller triangle has a side length of, say 2 inches, and the corresponding side of the larger triangle is 8 feet, you would first need to convert the feet to inches to compare them properly (1 foot = 12 inches, so 8 feet = 96 inches).

Then, you would set up the proportion like this: 2 inches / 96 inches. This would simplify to 1/48, indicating that the scale factor from the larger triangle to the smaller triangle is 1/48 or that the scale factor from the smaller to the larger is 48 (since it is the reciprocal).