Question

dixon and his little sister ariadne stand next to each other on the playground on a sunny afternoon. their mother measures their shadows. dixons shadow is 9 feet long and ariadnes shadow is 6 feet long. if dixon is 6 feet tall, how tall is ariadne? ariadne is ________ feet tall. the solution is

Explanation:

Step1: Set up proportion

Since the ratio of height to shadow length is the same for both, we have $\frac{\text{Dixon's height}}{\text{Dixon's shadow}}=\frac{\text{Ariadne's height}}{\text{Ariadne's shadow}}$. Let Ariadne's height be $x$. So $\frac{6}{9}=\frac{x}{6}$.

Step2: Cross - multiply

Cross - multiplying gives $9x = 6\times6$.

Step3: Solve for $x$

$9x=36$, then $x=\frac{36}{9}=4$.

Answer:

4