Question

Basketball star Mumford (a six foot senior forward) places a mirror on the ground x ft. from the base of a basketball goal. He walks backward four feet until he can see the top of the goal, which he knows is 10 feet tall. Determine the how far the miror is from the basketball goal.

Answer 1

6 feet 8 inches

Explanation:

The mirror ensures that the line of sight makes similar triangles, so ...

x/10 = 4/6

x = 40/6 . . . . feet = 6 2/3 ft = 6 ft 8 in

The mirror is 6 feet 8 inches from the goal.