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

1.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.

2.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.

3.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.

4.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.

5.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.

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

7.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.

8.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.

9.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.

10.A drinks company sells a novelty giant bottle that is geometrically similar to its standard 500 ml bottle, scaled up by a length factor of 1.5. Work out the capacity of the giant bottle, in ml.

11.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.

12.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.

13.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.

14.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.

15.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.