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28 votes
How tall is the flag pole (please give explanation too)

How tall is the flag pole (please give explanation too)-example-1
User RoyM
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2.5k points

1 Answer

14 votes
14 votes

Answer:

22 3/4 ft

Explanation:

The diagram seems to show a 6 1/2 ft person casting a 9 ft shadow at the same time a flagpole is casting a 31 1/2 ft shadow. You want the height of the flagpole.

Proportion

Shadow lengths are presumed proportional to the height of the object making them. This means ...

h/(31 1/2) = (6 1/2)/9 . . . . . all lengths in feet

Multiplying by 31 1/2, we get ...

h = (31 1/2)(6 1/2)/9 = (819/4)/9 = 91/4

h = 22 3/4 . . . . ft

The flagpole is 22 3/4 feet tall.

User Kevin Lynx
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