an object 4.8 feet tall casts a shadow that is 14.4 feet long. How long in feet would the shadow be for an object that is 17.1 feet long

Question

an object 4.8 feet tall casts a shadow that is 14.4 feet long. How long in feet would the shadow be for an object that is 17.1 feet long

Answer 1

As a proportion problem, this requires equating two fractions .....

 

4.8/14.4=17.1/x

 

And then cross multiplying .....

 

4.8x=246.24

 

In order to obtain the missing value .....

 

x=51.3 ft

 

Don't forget to add the unit name to your answer.

Answer 2

Mo, this is a proportion problem.  We set two ratios equal to each other.  Let's let x = the length of the unknown shadow.

 

The ratio is the object's height over the shadow's height, or vice versa.  Let's do the first.

 

4.8/14.4 = 17.1/x

 

Cross multiplying, we get 4.8x = 246.24

 

Dividing both sides by 4.8, we get x = 51.3.

 

Hope this helps!