SSAT Upper Level Math : Properties of Triangles

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SSAT Upper Level Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #41 : Right Triangles

A right triangle has leg lengths of . What is the area of this triangle?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Since the legs of a right triangle form a right angle, you can use these as the base and the height of the triangle.

Example Question #42 : Right Triangles

A right triangle has leg lengths of  and . Find the area of the right triangle.

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The legs of a right triangle also make up its base and its height.

Example Question #43 : Right Triangles

A right triangle has leg lengths of  and . Find the area of this triangle.

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The legs of a right triangle are also its height and its base.

Example Question #4 : How To Find The Area Of A Right Triangle

A right triangle has two legs of lengths  and , respectively. What is the area of the right triangle?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The area  of a right triangle with a base  and a height  can be found with the formula . Since the two legs of a right triangle are perpendicular to each other, we can use these as the base and height in the formula. Therefore:

Example Question #44 : Properties Of Triangles

A given right triangle has two legs of lengths  and , respectively. What is the area of the triangle?

Possible Answers:

Not enough information to solve

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The area  of a right triangle with a base  and a height  can be found with the formula . Since the two legs of a right triangle are perpendicular to each other, we can use these as the base and height in the formula. Therefore:

Example Question #6 : How To Find The Area Of A Right Triangle

A given right triangle has legs of lengths  and , respectively. What is the area of the right triangle?

Possible Answers:

Not enough information available

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The area  of a right triangle with a base  and a height  can be found with the formula . Since the two legs of a right triangle are perpendicular to each other, we can use these as the base and height in the formula. Therefore:

Example Question #4 : How To Find The Area Of A Right Triangle

The lengths of the hypotenuses of ten similar right triangles form an arithmetic sequence. The smallest triangle has legs of lengths 3 and 4 inches; the second-smallest triangle has a hypotenuse of length one foot.

Which of the following responses comes closest to the area of the largest triangle?

Possible Answers:

7 square feet

6 square feet

8 square feet

9 square feet

5 square feet

Correct answer:

8 square feet

Explanation:

The hypotenuse of the smallest triangle can be calculated using the Pythagorean Theorem:

 inches.

Let  be the lengths of the hypotenuses of the triangles in inches.  and , so their common difference is

The arithmetic sequence formula is 

The length of the hypotenuse of the largest triangle - the tenth triangle - can be found by substituting :

 inches.

The largest triangle has hypotenuse of length 68 inches. Since the triangles are similar, corresponding sides are in proportion. If we let  and  be the lengths of the legs of the largest triangle, then

 

Similarly,

The area of a right triangle is half the product of its legs:

 square inches.

Divide this by 144 to convert to square feet:

Of the given responses, 8 square feet is the closest, and is the correct choice.

 

Example Question #8 : How To Find The Area Of A Right Triangle

Right triangle 3

Figure NOT drawn to scale

In the above figure,  is a right triangle. . What fraction of  has been shaded in?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The length of the leg , which we will call , can be calculated by setting , the length of hypotenuse , and , the length of leg , and applying the Pythagorean Theorem:

Construct the altitude of  - which is also that of , the shaded region - from  to . We call the length of this altitude  (height). The figure is seen below.

Untitled 3

The area of  is one half this height multiplied by the corresponding base length :

The area of , the shaded region - is, similarly,

Therefore, the fraction that  is of  is the fraction of their areas: 

Substituting the measures of the two segments:

Example Question #11 : How To Find The Area Of A Right Triangle

What is the area of a right triangle whose hypotenuse is 13 inches and whose legs each measure a number of inches equal to an integer?

Possible Answers:

It cannot be determined from the information given.

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We are looking for a Pythagorean triple - that is, three integers that satisfy the relationship   . We know that , and the only Pythagorean triple with  is . The legs of the triangle are therefore 5 and 12, and the area of the right triangle is 

Example Question #1 : How To Find If Right Triangles Are Congruent

Given:

, where  is a right angle; ;

, where  is a right angle and ;

, where  is a right angle and  has perimeter 60;

, where  is a right angle and  has area 120;

, where  is a right triangle and 

Which of the following must be a false statement?

Possible Answers:

All of the statements given in the other responses are possible

Correct answer:

Explanation:

 has as its leg lengths 10 and 24, so the length of its hypotenuse, , is

Its perimeter is the sum of its sidelengths:

Its area is half the product of the lengths of its legs:

 and  have the same perimeter and area, respectively, as ; also, between  and , corresponding angles are congruent. In the absence of other information, none of these three triangles can be eliminated as being congruent to .

However,  and . Therefore, . Since a pair of corresponding sides is noncongruent, it follows that .

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