Question

A post oak tree outside of Mrs. Gentes house casts a 12-foot shadow at a certain time of day. At the same time, her husband, who is 6 feet tall, casts a two-foot shadow. How tall is the tree?

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

this creates 2 similar triangles.

that means all angles are the same. and all the side lengths of one triangle correlate to the corresponding side lengths of the other triangle by the same multiplication factor.

2 × f = 12

f = 12/2 = 6

now the same factor also applies to the relation of the heights :

6 × 6 = 36 ft

the tree is 36 ft tall.