Question

A flagpole casts a shadow that is 12 ft long. A 6-ft tall man casts a shadow

that is 8 ft long. The two triangles created are similar. How tall is the
flagpole?

Answer 1

9ft

Explanation:

Since the triangles are similar, the corresponding sides are proportional.

Let the height of the flag pole be x feet.

`(x)/(6) = (12)/(8)`

We multiply both sides by 6 to get:

`x = (12)/(8) * 6`

We reduce the fraction to get:

`x = (3)/(2) * 6`

We now simplify

`x = 3 * 3`

`x = 9ft`