Question

jack found that a jungle gym that is 3 meters tall casts a shadow 4 meters long. then jack noticed that a maypole nearby casts a shadow 16 meters long. how tall is the maypole? write your answer as a whole number or a decimal. do not round. meters

Explanation:

Step1: Set up the proportion

Let the height of the maypole be \(x\) meters. Since the ratio of height to shadow length is the same for both objects, we have the proportion \(\frac{3}{4}=\frac{x}{16}\).

Step2: Solve the proportion for \(x\)

Cross - multiply: \(4x = 3\times16\). Then \(4x=48\). Divide both sides by 4: \(x=\frac{48}{4}\).

Answer:

12