Question

a no - parking sign that is 8 feet tall casts a shadow that is 15 feet long. nearby, a cedar tree casts a shadow 30 feet long. how tall is the cedar tree?
write your answer as a whole number or a decimal. do not round.
feet

Explanation:

Step1: Set up the proportion

Since the height and shadow length are proportional, we have $\frac{\text{height of sign}}{\text{shadow of sign}}=\frac{\text{height of tree}}{\text{shadow of tree}}$. Let $h$ be the height of the tree. So $\frac{8}{15}=\frac{h}{30}$.

Step2: Solve for $h$

Cross - multiply: $15h = 8\times30$. Then $15h=240$. Divide both sides by 15: $h=\frac{240}{15}$.

Answer:

16