Question

A tree is 3 times as tall as a nearby pole. If the tree is 14 feet 9 inches tall, how tall is the pole?

A. 4 feet 9 inches
B. 4 feet 11 inches
C. 44 feet 3 inches
D. 44 feet 7 inches

The answer was B.
*I need to know how to solve this step by step.*

Answer 1

Take the height of the tree and convert it to inches by multiplying the feet by 12 and then adding the leftover inches; this comes out to 177 inches. Divide this number by 3 to receive the height of the pole; this turns out to be 59 inches. Then convert it to get and inches to get 4 feet 11 inches, because 5 feet is 60 inches.