Question

a water tower is 45 meters tall and its shadow is 24 meters long. nearby, a maple tree casts a shadow that is 8 meters long. how tall is the maple tree? 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, let the height of the maple tree be \(x\). The proportion is \(\frac{\text{height of water tower}}{\text{shadow of water tower}}=\frac{\text{height of maple tree}}{\text{shadow of maple tree}}\), so \(\frac{45}{24}=\frac{x}{8}\).

Step2: Solve the proportion

Cross - multiply: \(24x = 45\times8\). First, calculate \(45\times8 = 360\). Then, \(24x=360\). Divide both sides by 24: \(x=\frac{360}{24}\). Simplify \(\frac{360}{24}=15\).

Answer:

15