Final answer:
The question asks to find the height of a pole based on the length of its shadow, but without the angle of elevation of the sun or additional information, it is not possible to calculate the height using trigonometry.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question deals with a tall pole in a flat parking lot that stands straight up and forms a right angle with the ground. The length of the shadow cast by the pole is 12 feet, and the student is asked to find the height of the pole.
However, since the question does not provide the angle of the sun relative to the ground (which would form a right triangle with the pole and its shadow), it is impossible to determine the height of the pole without additional information.
Typically, one would use trigonometric functions, such as the tangent function, which is the ratio of the opposite side (height of the pole) over the adjacent side (length of the shadow), only if the angle of elevation of the sun was given.
Without this angle or additional information, we cannot apply trigonometry to solve the problem.