Geometry and Trigonometry practice question

Answer: 12

Corresponding sides of similar triangles share the ratio 2:3. Set up 2/3 = 8/x, so 2x = 24 and x = 12. The larger side is bigger, which confirms the direction of scaling.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 16

You multiplied 8 by 2, but 2 corresponds to the smaller triangle; scaling up means multiplying by 3/2, giving 12.

If you answered 24

You multiplied 8 by 3 but never divided by 2 — the scale factor from small to large is 3/2, so 8 × 3/2 = 12.

If you answered 5.33

You scaled by 2/3, which shrinks the side — since 8 is on the smaller triangle, you scale up by 3/2 to get 12.

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