Jaime is 6 feet (ft) tall and casts a 2.5 ft shadow while a flagpole, with a height of h, casts a 10 ft shadow, as shown. Two similar triangles are formed when a line is drawn from the tip of the flagpole to the end of Jaime's shadow

What is the height, in feet, of the flagpole?

1 answer

We can set up the following proportion using the similar triangles formed by Jaime and the flagpole:

(height of Jaime) / (length of Jaime's shadow) = (height of flagpole) / (length of flagpole's shadow)

Plugging in the given values, we have:

6 ft / 2.5 ft = h / 10 ft

Cross multiplying, we get:

6 ft * 10 ft = 2.5 ft * h

60 ft^2 = 2.5 ft * h

Dividing both sides by 2.5 ft, we get:

24 ft = h

Therefore, the height of the flagpole is 24 feet.