The two equilateral triangles below are similar. What is the scale factor?

20.8 inches
32 inches

The scale factor to go from the triangle on the right to the triangle on the left is
.

1 answer

To find the scale factor between two similar shapes, you can divide the length of a side of one shape by the corresponding length of a side of the other shape.

In this case, you have the side lengths of two equilateral triangles:

  • Length of the triangle on the right: 20.8 inches
  • Length of the triangle on the left: 32 inches

To find the scale factor from the triangle on the right (20.8 inches) to the triangle on the left (32 inches), you can use the following formula:

\[ \text{Scale Factor} = \frac{\text{Length of triangle on the left}}{\text{Length of triangle on the right}} = \frac{32}{20.8} \]

Now, calculate the scale factor:

\[ \text{Scale Factor} = \frac{32}{20.8} \approx 1.5385 \]

Thus, the scale factor to go from the triangle on the right to the triangle on the left is approximately 1.54.