A vertical pole 5 feet long casts a shadow of 2 feet.if at the same time a nearby tree casts a shadow of 10 feet, how tall is the tree? Please show work
We use the proportion for this case the pole and the tree with their shadows has the same shape forming a right triangle. We use the ratio of the two triangles and equate them as
h1/s1 = h2/s2
where h1 and s1 are the height and the length of a shadow of the pole, and the other h2 and s2 are for the tree
Identify all the given values. 5 ft / 2 ft = (h2) / 10 ft h2 = 25 ft Therefore the height of the tree "h2" is 25 ft.
