Answer: 16ft.
Step-by-step explanation:
Let's assume the height of the man is 6ft.
In order to get an accurate answer it is good to convert all the figures to meters.
The man's shadow 4ft6inches= 1.372m
The tree's shadow 12ft= 3.658m
Man's height 6ft = 1.829
Then height and shadows can be compared together in form of similar triangles.
Let x be the height of the tree
X/ 3.685 = 1.829/1.372
X/ 3.685= 1.333
X = 4.876m
Converting back to ft we have 16 ft .
(Note 1ft 0.3048 metres.)
