Question

Joey's eyes are 5.5 feet above the ground. He sets a mirror on the ground so he can see the top of a nearby building. The mirror is 8 feet away from Joey and 130 feet away from the base of the building. Estimate the height of the building using similar triangles. Round the height to the nearest foot.

A. 89 ft

B. 189 ft

C. 715 ft

D. 1040 ft

Answer 1

89 feet

Explanation:

First of all, we will make a diagram to demonstrate the given scenario as shown in the attached picture.

Now we will use similar triangles to set the ratios as shown below to figure out the height of the building.

`(x)/(130) =(5.5)/(8)`

Now we will solve for x from this equation by cross multiplying.

`8x=130\cdot5.5`

`8x=715`

`x=89.375`

Therefore, height of the building is approximately 89 feet.