In the figure above, ,
, and
are parallel. Points B and E lie on
and
, respectively. If
, and
, what is the length of
, to the nearest tenth?
16.8
17.5
18.4
19.6
Choice B is correct. Since ,
, and
are parallel, quadrilaterals
and
are similar. Let x represent the length of
. With similar figures, the ratios of the lengths of corresponding sides are equal. It follows that
. Multiplying both sides of this equation by 18.5 and by x yields
, or
. Dividing both sides of this equation by 9 yields
, which to the nearest tenth is 17.5.
Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from errors made when setting up the proportion.