Sec 2
2.3 Guided Notes
Real World Problems using similar triangles
Unit 1
■ Objective: To use similar triangle in solving real world scenarios
Warm Up: Are these shapes similar? Are all triangles similar? How about circles?
1. Suppose you are standing next to a tall building and wish to know the building’s height. A light post
that is 20 feet tall casts a shadow that is 12 feet long. The shadow from the building is measured to be
660 feet. Determine the height of the building
2. You are trying to figure out how tall the pyramid of Giza is. The pyramid is casting a a 606 2/3 foot
shadow. Standing nearby is a 6 foot man casting a 8 foot shadow. How tall is the pyramid of Giza?
3. Finding the distance across a canyon can be difficult. A drawing of similar triangles can be used to
make this task easier. Use the diagram to determine ̅̅̅̅
𝐴𝑅 , the distance across the canyon
4. To find the distance across a pond, Rita climbs a 30-ft observation tower on the shore of the pond and
location points A and B so that AC is perpendicular to CB. She then finds the measure of DB to be 12
feet. What is the measure of AD, the distance across the pond?