Class 10th

MATHEMATICS
TRIANGLES
Similar Triangles
Similar Figures
Similar figures are the figures having the same shape but not necessarily the same size. For example in the figure
given below, the two triangles have the same shape, but their perimeter and area are different.

Similar Triangles
Congruent Figures
Two figures are said to be congruent if they have the same shape as well as the same size. Congruent figures are
exactly the same. They have the same perimeter, area and can be superposed on each other.

Difference between Congruency and Similarity

Congruent figures are exactly the same, with the same size, shape and dimensions. Similar figures are scaled up or
scaled down versions of each other. They have the same shape but their sizes need not be the same.

Similar Polygons
Two polygons are similar if their corresponding angles are equal and their corresponding sides are in the same ratio.
Two polygons cannot be similar if their number of sides are different.

Similar Triangles
Two triangles are similar if their
• corresponding angles are equal
• corresponding sides are in the same ratio.
D
A

B C E F
ABC & DEF are similar triangles

ABC  DEF if and only if

• A = D, B = E, C = F
AB BC CA
• = =
DE EF FD

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Basic Proportionality Theorem
Basic Proportionality Theorem (BPT) states that if a line is drawn parallel to one side of a triangle to intersect the
other two sides in distinct points, the other two sides are divided in the same ratio.
A

D E

B C
In the above figure DE||BC. Then, BPT says that,
AD AE
=
DB EC

Converse of Basic Proportionality Theorem

The converse of Basic Proportionality Theorem is true. It states that if a line divides two sides of a triangle in the
same ratio, then the line is parallel to the third side.
A

D E

B C
AD AE
In the above figure, if = ,
DB EC
then, the converse of BPT states that DE||BC.

Criteria for Similarity of Triangles

Two triangles are said to be similar if their corresponding angles are equal and their corresponding sides are in the
same ratio. However, we need not check for all angles and sides to ensure similarity. There are certain criteria to
confirm the similarity of two triangles by comparing a lesser number of corresponding parts of a triangle. These are
• AAA similarity
• SSS similarity
• SAS similarity

AAA Similarity
According to AAA similarity criterion, if the corresponding angles of two triangles are equal, then the corresponding
sides are in the same ratio and the triangles are similar.
D
A

B C E F
If A = D, B = E and C = F, then ABC  DEF
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 If two angles of a triangle are respectively equal to two angles of another triangle, then by angle sum property, the
third angle of the triangles are equal and the triangles are similar. This is called AA similarity criterion.

SSS Similarity
According to SSS similarity criterion, if the sides of one triangle are proportional to the corresponding sides of another
triangle, then their corresponding angles are equal and the triangles are similar.
D
A

B C E F
ABC & DEF are similar by SSS criterion
AB BC AC
If = = , then ABC  DEF
DE EF DF

SAS Similarity
According to SAS similarity criterion, if two sides of one triangle are proportional to two sides of another triangle
and the corresponding included angles are equal, then, the triangles are similar.
D
A

B C E F
ABC & DEF are similar by SAS criterion
AB AC
If = and A = D, then ABC  DEF
DE DF

Areas of Similar Triangles

Relation between Areas and Sides of Similar Triangles
D
A

B C E F
In the given figure, ABC is similar to DEF, the ratio of their areas is given by,

area(ABC)  AB   BC   AC 
2 2 2
= = =
area(DEF)  DE   EF   DF 

[3]
Pythagoras Theorem
Perpendicular from Right Angle to Hypotenuse Divides the Triangle into Two Similar Triangles
In a right-angled triangle, if a perpendicular is drawn from the vertex of the right angle to the hypotenuse, then the
triangles on both sides of the perpendicular are similar to the whole triangle and to each other.
C

A D B
CD is the perpendicular from the vertex to hypotenuse AB
In the above figure, CD is the perpendicular drawn from the vertex C on the hypotenuse AB of ABC.
So, ABC  CBD  ACD

Pythagoras Theorem
Pythagoras Theorem states that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the
squares of the other two sides. Conversely, In a triangle, if square of one side is equal to the sum of the squares of the
other two sides, then the angle opposite the first side is a right angle.

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