Question

The Sun hits a 30 foot flagpole at a 60° angle and casts an unobstructed 52 foot shadow. If a building is built 32 feet away, what height will the shadow strike the side of the building? (round to nearest tenth)

A) 11.0 ft
B) 11.5 ft
C) 12.2 ft
D) 12.5 ft

Answer 1

Answer: 11.5 ft

Explanation:

The length of the shadow of the building = length of the shadow - distance of the building

= 52 - 32

= 20

Let the height the shadow strike the side of the building be h

then by similar shape rule

h / 20 = 30 / 52

52h = 30 x 20

52h = 600

h = 600/52

h = 11.53846154

h ≈ 11.5