Congruence and similarity: lengths, areas and volumes worksheet — GCSE Higher

1.Two similar triangles have lengths in the ratio 5 : 8. A side of the smaller triangle is 6.5 cm. Work out the length of the corresponding side of the larger triangle.

2.Two triangles are similar. The sides of the first triangle are 3 cm, 4 cm and 5 cm. The shortest side of the second triangle is 9 cm. Work out the scale factor from the first triangle to the second.

3.Two similar shapes have lengths in the ratio 1 : 3. A side of the smaller shape is 4 cm long. Work out the length of the corresponding side of the larger shape.

4.Two similar bottles have heights in the ratio 1 : 2. Write down the ratio of their volumes.

5.Triangle JKL and triangle MNP are similar, with JK ÷ MN = JL ÷ MP = 2. A student says triangle JKL must be congruent to triangle MNP. Write down why the student is wrong.

6.A photocopier enlarges a document so that every length is multiplied by the same scale factor. A line on the original document is 3.2 cm long, and the same line measures 11.2 cm on the enlarged copy. A second line on the original document is 2.5 cm long. Work out the length of the second line on the enlarged copy, giving your answer to 2 decimal places.

7.In triangle ABC and triangle DEF, the angle at A equals the angle at D, and AB ÷ DE = AC ÷ DF. Write down what this proves about the two triangles.

8.Two similar ponds have perimeters in the ratio 4 : 11. The perimeter of the larger pond is 88 m. Work out the perimeter of the smaller pond.

9.Two bronze statues are geometrically similar and made from the same solid bronze. Their heights are 30 cm and 45 cm. The smaller statue has a mass of 12 kg. Work out the mass of the larger statue, in kg.

10.Two similar triangular flower beds have lengths in the ratio 3 : 7. The area of the smaller bed is 45 m². Work out the area of the larger bed.

11.Two similar signs have lengths in the ratio 9 : 4. The larger sign has a side of length 14.4 cm. Work out the length of the corresponding side of the smaller sign.

12.Two similar model cars have a length scale factor of 2 from the small model to the large model. Priya works out that the area scale factor is 2² = 4, and then says the volume scale factor must also be 4, since that is the number she just calculated. Is Priya correct?

13.A model of a bridge is built to a scale where every length on the model is 1/240 of the matching length on the real bridge. A support beam on the model measures 3.6 cm. Work out the length of the real support beam, giving your answer in metres.

14.Two similar triangles have lengths in the ratio 2 : 5. The sides of the smaller triangle are 4 cm, 6 cm and 8 cm. Work out the length of the longest side of the larger triangle.

15.In triangle ABC and triangle DEF, AB = DE, AC = DF, and the angle at A equals the angle at D. Write down the congruence condition that proves the two triangles are congruent.