If a 5ft post casts an 8ft shadow at the same time that a nearby tree casts a 48ft shadow how tall is the tree

Question

Mathematics

Ariana Chaney

23 February, 14:13

If a 5ft post casts an 8ft shadow at the same time that a nearby tree casts a 48ft shadow how tall is the tree

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Answers (1)

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Jonah Bean · Answer 1

Here we would use the idea that the post and its shadow form a triangle and the tree and its shadow form a triangle and the side lengths of these two triangles are of the same ratio, ie. if the height of the tree is given by h then:

5/8 = h/48

h = 48 * (5/8)

h = 6*5 = 30

Thus the tree is 30 ft tall