Question

an ash tree is 8 meters tall and its shadow is 15 meters long. a nearby windmill is 32 meters tall. how long is the windmills shadow? write your answer as a whole number or a decimal. do not round. meters

Explanation:

Step1: Set up the proportion

Since the height and shadow length are proportional, we have $\frac{\text{Tree height}}{\text{Tree shadow}}=\frac{\text{Windmill height}}{\text{Windmill shadow}}$. Let the windmill's shadow length be $x$. So, $\frac{8}{15}=\frac{32}{x}$.

Step2: Cross - multiply

Cross - multiplying gives $8x = 15\times32$.

Step3: Solve for $x$

First, calculate $15\times32 = 480$. Then, $x=\frac{480}{8}$.

Answer:

60