Question

A 6.5 foot tall man casts a shadow that is 4.7 feet long. If the shadow of a flag pole is 8 feet long, how tall

is the flag pole?
The flag pole is
feet tall.
Enter an integer or decimal number [more..]
Round to the nearest tenth of a foot if needed.

Answer 1

11.1

Explanation:

This is a question involving ratios and proportions

The ratio of man's height to his shadow length = 6.5/4.7

The ratio of flagpole height to its shadow must be in the same ratio

If h is the height of the flagpole then h/8 is the ration of height to shadow length

Therefore,

`(6.5)/(4.7) = (h)/(8)\\\\\mathrm{Multiplying \;both\;sides\;by\;8\;}\\\\(6.5 * 8 )/(4.7) = h \\\\Or,\\h = (6.5 * 8 )/(4.7) \\\\Which\;simplifies\;to:\\\\h = 11.0638\\\\h = 11.1 \;rounded\;to\;the\;nearest\;tenth\;of\;a\;foot`