SOLUTION: From your perspective of the Earth during a total eclipse of the sun, the moon is directly in line with the sun and blocks the sun's rays. The ratio of the radius of the moon to it

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Question 182426This question is from textbook McDougal Littell Geometry
: From your perspective of the Earth during a total eclipse of the sun, the moon is directly in line with the sun and blocks the sun's rays. The ratio of the radius of the moon to its distance to Earth is about the same as the ratio of the radius to the sun to its distance to Earth.
Distance between Earth and the moon: 240,000 miles
Distance between Earth and the sun: 93,000,000
Radius of the sun: 432,500 miles
I have to make a sketch of the Earth, the moon, and the sun during a total eclipse of the sun. But the sketch should contain some similar triangles which is the part I get lost on. I get the drawing and not the triangles. Can someone please give me an idea of what to do so I can answer how to use similar triangles in my sketch to explain a total eclipse of the sun?
This question is from textbook McDougal Littell Geometry

Answer by solver91311(24713)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!


You want to draw two similar triangles, meaning their angles are the same measure, but the lengths of their sides are different.

Larger triangle: 1st vertex on one end of a diameter across the sun. 2nd vertex on the other end of the diameter across the sun. 3rd vertex is a point on the surface of the earth representing the location of the observer of the eclipse.

Smaller triangle: 1st vertex on one end of a diameter across the moon. 2nd vertex on the other end of the diameter across the moon. 3rd vertex is a point on the surface of the earth representing the location of the observer of the eclipse (the smaller and larger triangles share this vertex).


John


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