Question

John is trying to estimate how tall a tree is. the shadow created by the tree is 18 feet long. john is 6 feet tall, and his shadow is 3.5 feet long. using a proportion, estimate the height of the tree. round to the nearest

Answer 1

Make a comparison

`(height)/(shadow)= (height)/(shadow)`

`(heightof tree)/(shadow of three)= (heightofJohn)/(shadow of John)`

Plug the numbers into the equation above
h stands for the height of tree

`(heightof tree)/(shadow of three)= (heightofJohn)/(shadow of John)`

`(h)/(18)= (6)/(3.5)`

Do cross multiplication
3.5h = 6 × 18
3.5h = 108
h = 108/3.5
h = 30.8571..

to the nearest hundredth
h = 30.86 feet
to the nearest tenth
h = 30.9 feet