ΔABC is similar to ΔAXY by a ratio of 5:3. If BC = 25, what is the length of XY?

triangles ABC and AXY that share vertex A where point X is between points A and B and point Y is between points A and C

A. XY = 5
B. XY = 15
C. XY = 75
D.XY = 125

1 answer

Since triangles \( \Delta ABC \) and \( \Delta AXY \) are similar with a ratio of \( \frac{5}{3} \), we can set up a proportion based on the corresponding sides.

Given that \( BC = 25 \), this corresponds to side \( XY \) in triangle \( AXY \). The ratio of the lengths of the sides is given by:

\[ \frac{AB}{AX} = \frac{BC}{XY} = \frac{5}{3} \]

To find \( XY \), we can use the following equation derived from the ratio:

\[ \frac{25}{XY} = \frac{5}{3} \]

Cross-multiplying gives:

\[ 5 \cdot XY = 25 \cdot 3 \]

Calculating the right side:

\[ 5 \cdot XY = 75 \]

Now, divide both sides by 5 to solve for \( XY \):

\[ XY = \frac{75}{5} = 15 \]

Thus, the length of \( XY \) is \( \boxed{15} \).