Question

A pole that is 3m tall casts a shadow that is 1.22m long. At the same time, a nearby building casts a shadow that is 38.5m long. How tall is the building? Round your answer to the nearest meter.

Answer 1

141 m is the answer

Answer 2

Refer to the diagram shown below.

The height of the pole is CD (3 m), and its shadow is AB (1.22 m).
The height of the building is h m, and its shadow is AD (38.5 m).

The two triangles ΔABC and ΔADE are similar because of AAA.
Therefore

`(DE)/(BC) = (AD)/(AB) \\\\ (h)/(3) = (38.5)/(1.22)`

Cross multiply.
1.22 h = 3*38.5 = 115.5
h = 115.5/1.22 = 140.91 m

Answer: 141 m (nearest meter)