16Hit1600
Geometry and TrigonometryEasyScaling a 5-12-13 triangle

Geometry and Trigonometry practice question

A right triangle has sides of length 5, 12, and 13. A similar triangle has its shortest side of length 15. What is the length of its longest side?

Answer: 39

The scale factor is 15 ÷ 5 = 3, so the longest side is 13 × 3 = 39.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 13
13 is the original longest side.
If you answered 23
23 adds 10 to 13 instead of scaling.
If you answered 36
36 is the middle side, 12 × 3.

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