Question

A 34 - m tall building casts a shadow. The distance from the top of the building to the tip of the shadow is 36 m . Find the length of the shadow. If necessary, round your answer to the nearest tenth.

Answer 1

a^2 + b^2 = c^2
34^2 + b^2 = 36^2
1156 + b^2 = 1296
b^2 = 1296 - 1156
b2 = 140
b = sqrt 140
b = 11.8 m <==

Answer 2

Length of the shadow is 11.8 meters.

Explanation:

In the figure attached,

AB is a 34 meter tall building casting a shadow BC.

Let the measure of BC = x meters

It is given that the distance between A and C is 36 meters.

To find the length of BC we will apply Pythagoras theorem in the triangle.

AB² + BC² = AC²

(34)² + x² = (36)²

1156 + x² = 1296

x² = 1296 - 1156

x² = 140

x = √140

x = 11.832 meters

≈ 11.8 meters

Therefore, length of the shadow will be 11.8 meters.