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

1.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.

2.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.

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

4.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.

5.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.

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.Two traffic cones are geometrically similar. The smaller cone has height 6 m and the larger cone has height 9 m. Work out the ratio of the volume of the smaller cone to the volume of the larger cone, giving your answer in the form a : b in its simplest form.

8.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.

9.Two cylindrical storage tins are geometrically similar. The smaller tin has height 4 cm and the larger tin has height 6 cm. Work out the ratio of the surface area of the smaller tin to the surface area of the larger tin, giving your answer in the form a : b in its simplest form.

10.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.

11.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.

12.Two similar hexagonal tiles have lengths in the ratio 4 : 7. A side of the smaller tile is 8.4 cm long. Work out the length of the corresponding side of the larger tile.

13.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.

14.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.

15.Two spheres are similar solids. Their radii are in the ratio 3 : 4. Write down the ratio of their surface areas.