A meter stick casts a shadow 1.4 m long at the same time a flagpole casts a shadow 7.7 m long. The triangles formed by the meterstick and its shadow is similar to the triangle formed by the falgpole and its shadow. How tall is the flagpole? Show work.
2007-01-21 14:18:45 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
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2007-01-21 14:23:26 · update #1
1/x = 1.4/7.7
cross multiply
1.4x = 7.7
divide my 1.4 and solve for x which is the height of the flagpole
x = 7.7/1.4
x = 5.5m
2007-01-21 14:24:09 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The crux of this question is to help you understand that similar triables will cast shadows in the same ratio.
So you can say (in English) 1 meter is to 1.4 meters as "X" is to 7.7 meters.
Now you can set up an equality
1 / 1.4 = x / 7.7
Cross multiply and you get
1.4 * x = 1 * 7.7
Solve
1.4x = 7.7
1.4x / 1.4 = 7.7 / 1.4 (divide both sides by 1/4)
x = 7.7 / 1.4
x = 5.5
2007-01-21 22:27:50 · answer #2 · answered by The Answer Man 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The shadow from a 1 meter stick is 1.4m, the shadow from a flag pole is 7.7m, how tall is the flag pole
So 1 is to 1.4 as x is to 7.7
1/1.4 = x / 7.7
mutliply both sides by 7.7 gives ...
x = 7.7 /1.4 = 5.5 m
2007-01-21 22:26:06 · answer #3 · answered by b_plenge 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋