8AA Similarity Postulate

By definition, two triangles are similar if all their corresponding angles are congruent

and their corresponding sides are proportional. It is not necessary to check all angles
and sides in order to tell if two triangles are similar. In fact, if you only know that two
pairs of corresponding angles are congruent that is enough information to know that the
triangles are similar. This is called the AA Similarity Postulate.
AA Similarity Postulate: If two angles in one triangle are congruent to two angles in
another triangle, then the two triangles are similar.

 If ∠A≅∠Yand ∠B≅∠Z, then △ABC∼△YZX.

What if you were given a pair of triangles and the angle measures for two of their
angles? How could you use this information to determine if the two triangles are similar?

Examples
Example 1
Are the triangles similar? If so, write a similarity statement.

Yes, there are three similar triangles that each have a right angle. DGE∼FGD∼FDE.

Example 2
Are the triangles similar? If so, write a similarity statement.
By the reflexive property, ∠H≅∠H. Because the horizontal lines are
parallel, ∠L≅∠K (corresponding angles). So yes, there is a pair of similar
triangles. HLI∼HKJ.

Example 3
Determine if the following two triangles are similar. If so, write the similarity statement.

Compare the angles to see if we can use the AA Similarity Postulate. Using the Triangle Sum
Theorem, m∠G=48∘ and m∠M=30∘ So, ∠F≅∠M,∠E≅∠Land ∠G≅∠N and the
triangles are similar. △FEG∼△MLN.

Example 4
Determine if the following two triangles are similar. If so, write the similarity statement.

Compare the angles to see if we can use the AA Similarity Postulate. Using the Triangle Sum
Theorem, m∠C=39∘ and m∠F=59∘. m∠C≠m∠F, So △ABCand △DEF are not similar.

Example 5
△LEG∼△MAR by AA. Find GE and MR.

Set up a proportion to find the missing sides.

243248015=MR20=32MR=MR 2432=21GE24GE=672GE=28
When two triangles are similar, the corresponding sides are proportional. But, what are
the corresponding sides? Using the triangles from this example, we see how the sides
line up in the diagram to the right.
Use the diagram to complete each statement.
 1. △SAM∼△ ______
2. SA?=SM?=?RI
3. SM = ______
4. TR = ______
5. 9?=?8
Answer questions 6-9 about trapezoid ABCD.

6. Name two similar triangles. How do you know they are similar?
7. Write a true proportion.
8. Name two other triangles that might not be similar.
9. If AB=10,AE=7, and DC=22, find AC. Be careful!
Use the triangles to the left for questions 10-14.
AB=20,DE=15, and BC=k.

10. Are the two triangles similar? How do you know?

11. Write an expression for FE in terms of k.
12. If FE=12,, what is k?
13. Fill in the blanks: If an acute angle of a _______ triangle is congruent to an acute angle
in another ________ triangle, then the two triangles are _______.
14. Writing How do congruent trianglesand similar triangles differ? How are they the same?
Are the following triangles similar? If so, write a similarity statement.
15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.
SAS Triangle Similarity
If two triangles are similar it means that all corresponding angle pairs
are congruentand all corresponding sides are proportional. However, in order to be
sure that two triangles are similar, you do not necessarily need to have information
about all sides and all angles.
The SAS criterion for triangle similaritystates that if two sides of one triangle are
proportional to two sides of another triangle and their included angles are
congruent, then the triangles are similar.
In the examples, you will use similarity transformations and criteria for triangle
congruence to show why SAS is a criterion for triangle similarity.
Example 2
Are the triangles similar? Explain.

 
[Figure4]

ACED=BCFD=2. ∠C≅∠D so the included angles are congruent. Therefore, the triangles

are similar by SAS∼.

Example 3
Are the triangles similar? Explain. 

[Figure5]

While two pairs of sides are proportional and one pair of angles are congruent, the
angles are not the included angles. This is SSA, which is not a similarity criterion.
Therefore, you cannot say for sure that the triangles are similar.
Example 4
What additional information would you need to be able to say that ΔABC∼ΔEBD?
[Figure6]

Because BD¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯≅DC¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯, BCBD=2. The two triangles share ∠B, so that is a pair

of congruent angles. To prove that the triangles are similar, you would need to know
that BABE=2 as well. If you knew that BE¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯≅EA¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ or E was the midpoint
of AB¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯, then you could say that the triangles are similar.

triangles are similar.

Example 4
What additional information would you need to be able to say that ΔABC∼ΔEBD?

[Figure6]

Because BD¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯≅DC¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯, BCBD=2. The two triangles share ∠B, so that is a pair

of congruent angles. To prove that the triangles are similar, you would need to know
that BABE=2 as well. If you knew that BE¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯≅EA¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ or E was the midpoint
of AB¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯, then you could say that the triangles are similar.

Review
1. What does SAS stand for? What does it have to do with similar triangles?
2. What does SSA stand for? What does it have to do with similar triangles?
3. Draw an example of two triangles that must be similar due to SAS.
4. Draw an example of two triangles that are not necessarily similar because all you
know is SSA.
For each pair of triangles below state if they are similar, congruent, or if there is not
enough information to determine whether or not they are congruent. If they are similar
or congruent, write a similarity or congruence statement.
5.

[Figure7]

6.

[Figure8]

7.

[Figure9]

8.
 
[Figure10]

9.

[Figure11]

10.

[Figure12]

11. What is the minimum additional information you would need in order to be able to
state that the triangles below are similar by SAS?
[Figure13]

12. What is the minimum additional information you would need in order to be able to
state that the triangles below are similar by SAS?

[Figure14]

13. What is the minimum additional information you would need in order to be able to
state that the triangles below are similar by SAS?

[Figure15]

14. AAS and ASA are both criteria for triangle congruence. Are they also criteria for
triangle similarity? Explain.
15. Show how the SAS criterion for triangle similarity works: use transformations to help explain
why the triangles below are similar given that ACFD=CBDE. Hint: See Examples A and B for
help.
[Figure16]

c Geometry ConceptsCh76. SSS Similarity

7.6 SSS Similarity
Difficulty Level: Basic | Created by: CK-12
Last Modified: Jun 09, 2016
Practice
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SSS Similarity Theorem
By definition, two triangles are similar if all their corresponding angles are congruent and their
corresponding sides are proportional. It is not necessary to check all angles and sides in order to
tell if two triangles are similar. In fact, if you know only that all sides are proportional, that is
enough information to know that the triangles are similar. This is called the SSS
Similarity Theorem.

SSS Similarity Theorem: If all three pairs of corresponding sides of two triangles are
proportional, then the two triangles are similar.

 If ABYZ=BCZX=ACXY, then △ABC∼△YZX.
What if you were given a pair of triangles and the side lengths for all three of their sides? How
could you use this information to determine if the two triangles are similar?

 
Examples
For Examples 1 and 2, use the following diagram:

Example 1
Is △DEF∼△GHI?
Is 1530=1633=1836?
1530=12,1633=1633, and 1836=12. 12≠1633,△DEF is not similar to △GHI.
Example 2
Is △ABC∼△GHI?
Is 2030=2233=2436?
2030=23,2233=23, and 2436=23. All three ratios reduce to 23, △ABC∼△GHI.
Example 3
Determine if the following triangles are similar. If so, explain why and write the similarity
statement.

We will need to find the ratios for the corresponding sides of the triangles and see if they are all
the same. Start with the longest sides and work down to the shortest sides.

BCFD=2820=75
BAFE=2115=75
ACED=1410=75
Since all the ratios are the same, △ABC∼△EFD by the SSS Similarity Theorem.
Example 4
Find x and y, such that △ABC∼△DEF.
According to the similarity statement, the corresponding sides are: ABDE=BCEF=ACDF.
Substituting in what we know, we have 96=4x−110=18y.
969(10)9096x=4x−110=6(4x−1)=24x−6=24x=4 96=18y9y=18(6)9y=108 y=1
2
Example 5
Determine if the following triangles are similar. If so, explain why and write the similarity
statement.

We will need to find the ratios for the corresponding sides of the triangles and see if they are all
the same. Start with the longest sides and work down to the shortest sides.

ACED=2135=35
BCFD=1525=35
ABEF=1020=12
Since the ratios are not all the same, the triangles are not similar.

Fill in the blanks.

1. If all three sides in one triangle are __________________ to the three sides in another,
then the two triangles are similar.

2. Two triangles are similar if the corresponding sides are _____________.

Use the following diagram for questions 3-5. The diagram is to scale.

3. Are the two triangles similar? Explain your answer.

4. Are the two triangles congruent? Explain your answer.

5. What is the scale factor for the two triangles?

Fill in the blanks in the statements below. Use the diagram to the left.
 6. △ABC∼△_____
7. AB?=BC?=AC?
8. If △ABC had an altitude, AG=10, what would be the length of altitude DH¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯?
9. Find the perimeter of △ABC and △DEF. Find the ratio of the perimeters.
Use the diagram to the right for questions 10-15.

10. △ABC∼△_____
11. Why are the two triangles similar?

12. Find ED.
13. BD?=?BC=DE?
14. Is ADDB=CEEB true?
15. Is ADDB=ACDE true?
Find the value of the missing variable(s) that makes the two triangles similar.

16.