Question

ff.5 similar figures and indirect measurement 8vj
michelle sees a sailboat mast and a pine tree. the sailboat mast is 12 meters tall and casts a shadow that is 16 meters long. what is the height of the pine tree if the pine trees shadow is 4 meters long?
write your answer as a whole number or a decimal. do not round.
meters

Explanation:

Step1: Set up proportion

$\frac{\text{Mast height}}{\text{Mast shadow}} = \frac{\text{Tree height}}{\text{Tree shadow}}$
$\frac{12}{16} = \frac{h}{4}$

Step2: Solve for tree height $h$

Multiply both sides by 4:
$h = \frac{12}{16} \times 4$
$h = \frac{48}{16} = 3$

Answer:

3 meters