Question

A pole that is 3m tall casts a shadow that is 1.79m long. At the same time, a nearby building casts a shadow that is 37.75m long. How tall is the building? Round your answer to the nearest meter.

Answer 1

63 m to nearest metre.

Explanation:

The pole/building and the shadows and the lines from the ends of the shadows to the tops, form 2 similar triangles.

So the corresponding sides of the triangles are in the same ratio.

1.79 / 37.75 = 3/h where h is the height of the building.

1.79h = 3 * 37.75

h = (3 * 37.75) / 1.79

= 63.268 m