T.9 · Similarity, scaling and conic distance loci

Triangles are similar when their corresponding angles agree; their corresponding side ratios are then equal. Write the vertex correspondence explicitly. If triangle APQ has angle A equal to angle A of ABC and angle P equal to angle C, its ordered correspondence is A↔A, P↔C, Q↔B. Thus AP/AC=AQ/AB=PQ/CB. The side AP lies on AB but corresponds to AC; matching by where a side lies or by the letter P can give the wrong ratio.

With a common length scale factor k>0, lengths multiply by k, areas by k² and volumes by k³. A 30% length increase means k=1.30, hence an area increase of 1.30²−1=0.69, or 69%; it is not 60%. For similar solids with a volume ratio of 27, the length ratio is 3 and the surface-area ratio 9. Percentage changes and absolute differences are different quantities; write the new-to-old ratio before converting it to a percent.

A circle fixes distance to one point. An ellipse fixes the sum of distances to two foci. A hyperbola fixes the absolute difference of those distances; a parabola fixes equality of distance to a focus and to a directrix. These are definitions of point sets, not sketches to memorise. For foci (−c,0) and (c,0), an ellipse uses a sum 2a with a>c. A nondegenerate hyperbola uses an absolute difference 2a with 0<a<c; a signed difference distinguishes its two branches.

For the hyperbola with horizontal transverse axis, c²=a²+b² and the equation is x²/a²−y²/b²=1. Let r_A be distance to (−c,0) and r_B distance to (c,0). The condition r_A−r_B=2a>0 selects the right branch x≥a; the negative condition selects the left. Squaring can lose this sign, so check the original distance condition after obtaining the equation. Difference zero gives the perpendicular bisector rather than a hyperbola; a difference exceeding the focal separation is impossible by the triangle inequality.

Let AB=10, AC=15 and BC=20. A point P on AB has AP=6, and Q on AC makes angle APQ equal to angle ACB. Then AP/AC=6/15=2/5, so PQ=8 and AQ=4. Separately, foci at (−5,0),(5,0) and distance-to-left minus distance-to-right equal to 6 give a=3, b²=25−9=16: x²/9−y²/16=1 with x≥3. The point (−3,0) satisfies the squared equation but fails the signed condition.

Match angles before sides. Area percentages use the square of the length factor. A squared distance equation may describe both branches even when the original problem asks for only one.

Similar solids have surface-area ratio 9:25. Find their corresponding length and volume ratios. Explain why matching vertices matters before forming a triangle ratio.

Worked solution

Taking positive square roots gives length ratio 3:5. Cubing gives volume ratio 27:125. The area ratio is not itself a length scale. Corresponding vertices must match equal angles; otherwise ratios can compare unrelated sides. Similarity is an assumption here; area ratios alone do not prove that arbitrary solids are similar.

For foci $A=(-5,0)$ and $B=(5,0)$, find the locus $|PA|-|PB|=6$. Derive its standard equation, choose its branch and check the vertex in the unsquared relation. What happens if the requested difference is 12?

Check after attempting

Write $r_A=\sqrt{(x+5)^2+y^2}$ and $r_B=\sqrt{(x-5)^2+y^2}$. The original condition is $r_A-r_B=6$. Since $r_A^2-r_B^2=20x$, multiplying the distance difference by their sum gives $r_A+r_B=10x/3$. Hence $r_B=5x/3-3$, which must be nonnegative. Squaring this equality gives $(x-5)^2+y^2=(5x/3-3)^2$. Expanding and collecting gives $16x^2/9-y^2=16$. Thus the half focal distance is c=5, half difference is a=3, and the hyperbola is $x^2/9-y^2/16=1$, using $b^2=c^2-a^2=16$. The original positive difference selects the right branch $x\ge3$. At $(3,0)$ the distances are 8 and 2, difference six; at $(-3,0)$ the difference is negative six. Squaring alone retains this invalid branch. A difference of 12 exceeds $|AB|=10$ and is impossible by the reverse triangle inequality.