A telephone pole casts a shadow that is 75 feet long. At the same time a woman standing nearby who is 6 feet 4 inches tall casts a shadow that is 31 inches long.

Answer 1

Use proportions to solve this problem.

x/75 = 76/31

Cross multiply

31x = 5700

÷ 31 ÷ 31

x = 184 ft

The telephone pole is 184 ft tall.

Answer 2

I assume the question is "how long is the telephone pole's shadow?" Convert all of the units to inches:

75 feet = 75 x 12 = 900 inches

6 feet 4 inches = 6 x 12 + 4 = 76 inches

31 inches =31 inches

woman height / shadow height = telephone pole height / shadow height

76 /31 = 900 / x

Solve for x, the length of the telephone pole's shadow in inches. Divide by 12 to convert it to feet

Solve for x