Name ------------------------------------------------------- Date --------

Practice A
Tell whether the triangles are similar. Explain.

2.

1.

t-,
~
3. The triangles are similar. Find the value of x.

4. You can use indirect measurement

to estimate the height of a building.

First measure your distance from
the base of the building and the
distance from the ground to a point
on the building that you are looking
at. Maintaining the same angle of
sight, move back until the top of
the building is in your line of sight.
a. Explain why !:::.ABC and !:::.DBE

are similar.

10ft

b. What is the height of the building?

5. You and your friend are practicing for a rowing

competition and want to know how far it is to

an island in the Indian River Lagoon. You take
measurements on your side of the lagoon and
make the drawing shown.
a. Explain why !:::.ABC and !:::.DEC are similar.
b. What is the distance to the island?

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Practice B
Tell whether the triangles are similar. Explain.

2.
1.

3. The triangles are similar. Find the value of

x.

height of a flag pole. First measure your distance

from the base of the flag pole and the distance from
the ground to a point on the flag pole that you are
looking at. Maintaining the same angle of sight,
move back until the top of the flag pole is in your

r~
I -

f\~""""

4. You can use indirect measurement to estimate the

c'"'

....

....

....

.... ....
7.5 ft B - -

.... ....
....

Ag;T- - - - - - -

~~~n45 ft

...L ~22 ft

>

-D~

4.5 ft'
n::.L

line of sight.
a. Explain why 6ABC and 6DBE are similar.
b. What is the height of the flag pole?
5. You are on a boat in the ocean, at Point A. You

locate a lighthouse at Point D, beyond the line

of sight of the marker at point C. You drive
0.2 mile west to Point B and then 0.1 mile south
to Point C. You drive 0.3 mile more to arrive at
Point E, which is due east of the lighthouse.
a. Explain why 6ABC and 6DEC are

similar.
b. What is the distance from Point E to the

lighthouse?

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-----------------------------------------

ACTIVITY:

Using Technology

to Explore

Triangles

Work with a partner. Use geometry software to draw

the triangle shown.

a. Dilate the triangle by the following scale factors.

B

2.5

b. Measure the third angle in each triangle. What do you notice?

c. REASONING When two angles in one triangle are congruent to two angles
in another triangle, can you conclude that the triangles are similar? Explain .

ACTIVITY: Indirect

Measurement

Work with a partner.

a. Use the fact that two rays

from the Sun are parallel
to explain why 6ABC
and 6DEF are similar.

x ft

64

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Sun's ray

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Oate __ --Name

-----------------------------------------

ACTIVITY:

Using Technology

to Explore

Triangles

Work with a partner. Use geometry software to draw

the triangle shown.

a. Dilate the triangle by the following scale factors.

B

2.5

b. Measure the third angle in each triangle. What do you notice?

c. REASONING When two angles in one triangle are congruent to two angles
in another triangle, can you conclude that the triangles are similar? Explain .

ACTIVITY: Indirect

Measurement

Work with a partner.

a. Use the fact that two rays

from the Sun are parallel
to explain why 6ABC
and 6DEF are similar.

x ft

64

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Sun's ray

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__

Using Similar Triangles

Date -----

(continued)

b. Explain how to use similar triangles to find the height of the flagpole.

What Is Your Answer?

4. IN YOUR OWN WORDS How can you use angles to tell whether triangles

are similar?

5. PROJECT Work with a partner or in a small group.

a. Explain why the process in Activity 3 is called "indirect" measurement.

b. CHOOSE TOOLS Use indirect measurement to measure the height of

something outside your school (a tree, a building, a flagpole). Before

going outside, decide what materials you need to take with you.

c. MODELING Draw a diagram of the indirect measurement process you

used. In the diagram, label the lengths that you actually measured and
also the lengths that you calculated.

6. PRECISION Look back at Exercise 17 in Section 2.5. Explain how you can

show that the two triangles are similar.

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3.4

Practice

For use after Lesson 3.4

Tell whether the triangles

are similar. Explain.

2.

4.

3.

L_d

5. You can use similar triangles to find the

height of a tree. Triangle ABC is similar

to triangle DEC. What is the height of
the tree?

I
l~~-: I!

x ft

~_;_- 9 ft

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6 ft

---l

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