A triangle has side lengths of 6, 6, and 9 units. A similar but larger triangle has side lengths of 12, 12, and 18 units. Calculate and compare the perimeters of the two triangles. What is the ratio of the perimeter of the smaller triangle to the perimeter of the larger triangle? Enter your response as a fraction.

1 answer

To find the perimeters of the two triangles, we first calculate the perimeter of the smaller triangle with side lengths 6, 6, and 9 units.

The perimeter \( P_1 \) of the smaller triangle is calculated as follows: \[ P_1 = 6 + 6 + 9 = 21 \text{ units} \]

Next, we calculate the perimeter of the larger triangle with side lengths 12, 12, and 18 units.

The perimeter \( P_2 \) of the larger triangle is calculated as follows: \[ P_2 = 12 + 12 + 18 = 42 \text{ units} \]

Now that we have both perimeters, we calculate the ratio of the perimeter of the smaller triangle to the perimeter of the larger triangle: \[ \text{Ratio} = \frac{P_1}{P_2} = \frac{21}{42} \]

To simplify this fraction, we divide both the numerator and the denominator by their greatest common divisor, which is 21: \[ \frac{21}{42} = \frac{1}{2} \]

Thus, the ratio of the perimeter of the smaller triangle to the perimeter of the larger triangle is: \[ \boxed{\frac{1}{2}} \]