A 6.4 tall person is standing 20ft away from a street light that is 25ft. How long is the shadow?

Question

How to set up the problem ans solve it using rational equation.

Answer 1

Draw and label a diagram

d represents the length of the shadow

25 : x + 20 :: 6.4 : x      proportion

(20)(6.4) = 25x               product of means/extremes

 

Can you solve for x?