SOLUTION: if a pole is 24 feet tall and has a shadow of 8 ft, how tall is the shadow of a 72 foot pole?

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Question 251109: if a pole is 24 feet tall and has a shadow of 8 ft, how tall is the shadow of a 72 foot pole?
Answer by actuary(112) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
This is a problem involving similar triangles.
The ratios of corresponding sides are equal. Since the ratio of the lengths of the poles is 72/24 = 3 the ratio of the shadows is also 3 = length of longer shadow divided by 8. Therefore the length of the longer shadow is 8*3=24 feet.