Question

The mast on Corey's sailboat casts a32 feet long shadow. A 5-foot tal manstanding next to the most casts a 4-feetlong shadow. How tall is the mast of theSailboat?

Answer 1

Let the height of the mast of the sailboat be h. Let us picture the problem.

Using the property of similar triangles;

The ratio of the corresponding sides of similar traingles is equal.

We have:

`(4)/(32)=\text{ }(5)/(h)`

Cross-Multiply:

`\begin{gathered} 4h\text{ = 5 }*\text{ 32} \\ \text{Divide both sides by 4:} \\ (4h)/(4)\text{ = }(160)/(4) \\ h\text{ = 40 ft} \end{gathered}`

Answer: The mast is 40 ft tall