Question

at the same time a 7 foot street sign casts a 20 foot shadow, a telephone pole nearby casts a 40 foot shadow. how tall is the telephone pole? round your answer to the nearest hundredths. feet

Explanation:

Step1: Set up the proportion

Let \( h \) be the height of the telephone pole. Since the ratio of object height to shadow length is the same for both objects, we have the proportion \( \frac{7}{20}=\frac{h}{40} \).

Step2: Solve the proportion for \( h \)

Cross - multiply: \( 20h = 7\times40 \). Then \( 20h=280 \). Divide both sides by 20: \( h=\frac{280}{20} \).

Answer:

\( 14.00 \)