Question

A flagpole Casts a shadow that is 60 feet long. At the same time, a woman standing nearby who is 5'6" tall cast a shadow that is 4 feet long. Give to possible proportions that could be used to solve for the height of the flagpole. DO NOT SOLVE.

Answer 1

The diagram illustrating the given scenario is shown below

The height of the flagpole is represented by h. We can see that the figures are similar. Thus, the possible proportions that could be used to solve for the height of the flagpole is

h/60 = 5'6''/4'

We would convert 5 feet, 6 inches to feet. Recall,

1 foot = 12 inches

then, 6 inches would be 6/12 = 0.5 foot

The height of the woman is 5 feet + 0.5 foot = 5.5 feet

Thus, the required proportion is

h/60 = 5.5/4