Question

A tree that is 10 feet tall casts a shadow that is 8 feet long. What is the distance from the top of the tree to the tip of the shadow? Round to the nearest tenth.

a 9.4 feet
b 12.8 feet
c 3.2 feet
d 2.8 feet

Answer 1

We can solve this problem using similar triangles. Let's call the distance from the top of the tree to the tip of the shadow "x."

Using similar triangles, we can set up the following proportion:

10 feet (height of the tree) / 8 feet (length of the shadow) = x / 10 + x

Cross-multiplying, we get:

8x = 10(10 + x)
8x = 100 + 10x
2x = 100
x = 50/2
x = 25

Therefore, the distance from the top of the tree to the tip of the shadow is 25 feet.

Rounded to the nearest tenth, the distance is 25.0 feet.

So, none of the given options accurately represent the answer.