SOLUTION: A light post casts a shadow that is 15 ft. long. Sarah is 5 ft. tall and is standing 4 ft. from the light post. How tall is the light post?

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Question 1206337: A light post casts a shadow that is 15 ft. long. Sarah is 5 ft. tall and is standing 4 ft. from
the light post. How tall is the light post?
Found 3 solutions by math_tutor2020, ikleyn, MathTherapy:
Answer by math_tutor2020(3817)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!

h = height of the lamp post
h/19 = 5/15 due to similar triangles
15h = 19*5 cross multiply
h = 19*5/15
h = 6.3333 feet approximately

Answer by ikleyn(52781)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
.

Wording is very strange, inadequate and confusing in this post.

It is not a light post casts a shadow of 15 ft.

In opposite, casts a shadow of 15 ft long.

This post is not a Math problem - it is a soup of words, instead.

To be a Math problem, it should be re-written from the scratch.

Answer by MathTherapy(10552)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!

A light post casts a shadow that is 15 ft. long. Sarah is 5 ft. tall and is standing 4 ft. from the light post. How tall is the light post? In most cases, the TIP of the person's shadow touches the TIP of the object's (light post, in this case) shadow As such, let's say the height of the light post is H With the light post casting a 15-ft shadow, and considering that Sarah is standing 4 ft from it - on the SAME side as its shadow - then Sarah's shadow is 11 (15 - 4) ft long We then get the following PROPORTION: 11H = 15(5) ------ Cross-multiplying 11H = 75 Light post's height, or