SOLUTION: A man who is 6 feet tall casts an 8-foot shadow. What is the distance from the top of his head to the tip of his shadow?

Question 596293: A man who is 6 feet tall casts an 8-foot shadow. What is the distance from the top of his head to the tip of his shadow?
Answer by math-vortex(648) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
To solve this problem, we draw a right triangle to model it. The height of the man is the vertical leg of the triangle. Call that length a. The length of his shadow is the horizontal leg. Call that length b. The distance from the top of his head to the tip of his shadow is the hypotenuse. Call that length c. Use the Pythagorean Equation, a^2 + b^2 = c^2, to find that distance.
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The Pythagorean Equation:
a^2 + b^2 = c^2
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Substitute the values we know. a = 6 ft, b = 8 ft.
(6)^2 + (8)^2 = c^2
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Simplify and solve for c.
36 + 64 = c^2
100 = c^2
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Take the square root of both sides. The square root of 100 is 10 because 10*10=100. The square root of c^2 is c because c*c=c^2
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c = 10.
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The distance from the top of the man's head to the tip of his shadow is 10 feet.
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Good luck!
Ms.Figgy

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