Question

a lighthouses shadow is 60 yards long. not far away, a windmills shadow is 45 yards long. if the lighthouse is 32 yards tall, how tall is the windmill? write your answer as a whole number or a decimal. do not round. yards

Explanation:

Step1: Set up the proportion

Since the height and shadow length are proportional, we have $\frac{\text{height of lighthouse}}{\text{shadow of lighthouse}}=\frac{\text{height of windmill}}{\text{shadow of windmill}}$. Let $x$ be the height of the windmill. So, $\frac{32}{60}=\frac{x}{45}$.

Step2: Cross - multiply

Cross - multiplying gives $60x = 32\times45$.

Step3: Solve for $x$

First, calculate $32\times45 = 1440$. Then, $x=\frac{1440}{60}$.

Step4: Simplify

$x = 24$.

Answer:

24