Question

dixon and his little sister ariadne stand next to each other on the playground on a sunny afternoon. their mother measures their shadows. ariadnes shadow is 15 feet long and dixons shadow is 18 feet long. if ariadne is 5 feet tall, how tall is dixon? dixon is _ feet tall. the solution is

Explanation:

Step1: Set up the proportion

Since the ratio of height to shadow length is the same for both, we have $\frac{\text{Ariadne's height}}{\text{Ariadne's shadow}}=\frac{\text{Dixon's height}}{\text{Dixon's shadow}}$. Let Dixon's height be $x$. So $\frac{5}{15}=\frac{x}{18}$.

Step2: Cross - multiply

Cross - multiplying gives $15x = 5\times18$.

Step3: Solve for $x$

$15x=90$, then $x=\frac{90}{15}=6$.

Answer:

6