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

1.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.

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

3.Triangle JKL has a right angle at K, hypotenuse JL = 13 cm, and side JK = 5 cm. Triangle MNO has a right angle at N, hypotenuse MO = 13 cm, and side MN = 5 cm. Using only the facts given, and without working out any further lengths, write down the congruence condition that proves triangle JKL is congruent to triangle MNO.

4.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.

5.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.

6.Two similar triangular tiles have lengths in the ratio 3 : 5. The longest side of the smaller tile is 9 cm. Work out the length of the longest side of the larger tile.

7.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.

8.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?

9.A shop sells a scale model of a van. The model and the real van are similar shapes, with lengths in the ratio 1 : 24. The model is 18.5 cm long. Work out the length of the real van, giving your answer in metres.

10.In triangle ABC and triangle DEF, the angle at A and the angle at D are both 40°, and the angle at B and the angle at E are both 70°. No side lengths are given. Write down whether the two triangles must be similar, with the reason.

11.Triangle ABC and triangle DEF are similar. The area of triangle ABC is 36 cm² and the area of triangle DEF is 100 cm². Work out the ratio of the lengths of triangle ABC to the lengths of triangle DEF, in its simplest form.

12.Two similar triangles have lengths in the ratio 3 : 4. The perimeter of the smaller triangle is 24 cm. Work out the perimeter of the larger triangle.

13.Two similar company logos are printed at different sizes. The area of the larger logo is 2.25 times the area of the smaller logo. Work out the length scale factor from the smaller logo to the larger logo.

14.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.

15.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.