A flagpole that is 16 feet high has a shadow that is 4 feet long. A nearby flagpole is 24 feet high. How long is the shadow of the taller flagpole?

Answer 1

Wyzant seems to be having some problems with the white board, so lets see if I can't help you here?

Draw a diagram showing the 2 flagpoles and their shadows. The flagpoles form right angles with the ground.

You have 2 similar triangles. The flagpoles are proportional to the shadows, so

16/24 = 4/x , x is the length of the shadow of the second flagpole

16x = 4(24)

x = 6 ft