SOLUTION: The sun is shining and I am on a hill. I want to measure the height of a tree downhill from me, using my one-meter stick, and a tape measure for measuring shadows. What do I do to
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-> SOLUTION: The sun is shining and I am on a hill. I want to measure the height of a tree downhill from me, using my one-meter stick, and a tape measure for measuring shadows. What do I do to
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Question 630070: The sun is shining and I am on a hill. I want to measure the height of a tree downhill from me, using my one-meter stick, and a tape measure for measuring shadows. What do I do to take the slope of the hill into account?
A Bend the meter stick.
B Place the meter stick on the hill.
C Call your mother.
D Using the meter stick and the tape measure, recreate the slope
E It's not possible.
F You don't need to do anything different so long as your meter stick is on the same slope as the tree.
F is almost right, and is the nearest thing to a correct answer. What would make it correct would be the restriction that the two shadows, i.e. from the meterstick and the tree must be wholly contained in the slope. That is to say that your calculations will be off somewhat if the shadow of the tree reaches beyond the base of the hill and extends onto the presumably horizontal surface of the valley beneath the hill.
John
My calculator said it, I believe it, that settles it
