A tree casts a shadow 6 feet long. At the same time, a person who is 4 feet tall casts a shadow that is 2 feet long.

How tall is the tree?

1 answer

To solve this problem, we can use proportions. Let's assume the height of the tree is "h" feet.

The proportion can be set up as follows:

(tree height)/(tree shadow length) = (person height)/(person shadow length)

We can plug in the known values: tree shadow length = 6 feet and person height = 4 feet, and person shadow length = 2 feet.

(h/6) = (4/2)

Cross-multiplying, we get:

2h = 24

Dividing both sides by 2, we find:

h = 12

Therefore, the tree is 12 feet tall.