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C2. Similar triangles.

There are many different kinds of triangles, for example, isoscles, equilateral, scalene, right-angled, acute-angled and obtuse-angled.

Two triangles are said to be similar if all their sides are in a fixed ratio. This will be true of any two triangles where one is an enlargement of the other. These three triangles are all similar to each other:

similar triangles
The sides in any two similar triangles are in a fixed ratio. In the diagram, AB:DE=BC:EF=AC:DF

Or, you could write these ratios as fractions:
AB=BC=AC
DE  EF  DF

You can also compare sides within each triangle:
BC=EF
AC  DF

AB=DE
AC  DF

AB=DE
BC  EF
similar triangles

Sorry, this page requires a Java-compatible web browser. Drag some of the points. The triangles remain similar.

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