Question

At the same time a 32-foot water tower casts a 14-foot shadow , a nearby light posts a casts a 7-foot shadow. How tall is the light post?

a. 7 ft
b. 12 ft
c. 16 ft
d. 18 ft

Answer 1

To solve this problem you can use proportions. The shadow of the water tower and light post are a match, and the height of the water tower and light post are a match. Since we are finding the height of the light post we can replace it with x. The proportion can be set up like this: x/32=7/14. First, multiply 32 and 7 which equals 224. Then take 224 and divide it by the leftover number, 14, and you get 16. So, the answer is c).