Use similar triangles to help solve the problem. A tree casts a shadow of 24 feet at the same time as a 5-foot tall man casts a shadow of 4 feet. Find the height of the tree.
A) h = 27 ft
B) h = 42 ft
C) h = 30 ft
D) h = 35 ft
E) h = 22 ft

Question

Use similar triangles to help solve the problem. A tree casts a shadow of 24 feet at the same time as a 5-foot tall man casts a shadow of 4 feet. Find the height of the tree. 
A) h = 27 ft 
B) h = 42 ft 
C) h = 30 ft 
D) h = 35 ft 
E) h = 22 ft

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Let h be the height of the tree. Using similar triangles, we can set up the proportion:
$\frac{h}{24}=\frac{5}{4}$ 
Cross-multiplying, we get:
$4h=120$ 
Dividing by 4, we get:
$h=30$ 
Therefore, the height of the tree is 30 feet. Therefore, the best choice is C.

Use Similar Triangles to Help Solve the Problem