Question

Two trees are in a garden. The 20-foot tree casts a shadow four feet long. If the other tree is 15-foot tall, how long will its shadow be?

1. 3 feet
2. 5 feet
3. 5 1/3
4. 8 feet

Answer 1

The correct answer here is 1. 3 feet because proportionally, 4/20 = 1/5. Therefore, we know that the shadows will be 1/5 of the tree height. When we multiply 1/5 by 15, the product is 3.

Answer 2

they are similar triangles so 20/4=15/x
solve for x
20x=15*4=60
x=3