Problema Solution

A person 6 feet tall standing 18 feet away from a lamppost cast a 9 foot shadow. When the same person moves 4 feet farther from the lamppost, he will cast a shadow how long?

Answer provided by our tutors

let


h = the height of the lamppost


s = the length of the shadow


make a good drawing and notice the similar right triangles to form the proportion:


h : 6 = (18 + 9) : 9


by solving we find:


h = 18 ft


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since we now know the height of the lamppost we make another drawing and use again the similar right triangles to form the proportion:


18 : 6 = (18 + 4 + s) : s


by solving we find:


s = 11 ft


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he will cast a shadow 9 feet long.