The council tells Mrs Hussein that the tree in her garden is too tall, and orders her to reduce its height by 15%. She cuts 75cm off the top of the tree to meet the regulations. How tall was her tree originally? Give your answer in m.

Answer 1

Let "x" be the original height of the tree in meters.
15% of x is (15/100)*x = 0.15x.
To reduce its height by 15%, Mrs Hussein cuts off 75 cm, or 0.75 meters.
So, the new height of the tree is x - 0.75 meters.
The equation to represent this is:
x - 0.75 = 0.85x.
Combining like terms, we get 0.85x - x = 0.75.
Simplifying further, we get 0.15x = 0.75.
Dividing both sides of the equation by 0.15, we get x = 5.
Therefore, the tree was originally 5 meters tall. Answer: \boxed{5}.