Question

ff.5 similar figures and indirect measurement 8vj
keenan wants to know the height of a monument. he measures the shadow of the monument and finds that it is 15 yards long. keenan also knows that a nearby redwood tree that is 16 yards tall is casting a shadow 30 yards long. how tall is the monument?
write your answer as a whole number or a decimal. do not round.
____ yards

Explanation:

Step1: Set up proportion

$\frac{\text{Monument height}}{\text{Monument shadow}} = \frac{\text{Tree height}}{\text{Tree shadow}}$
Let $h$ = monument height:
$\frac{h}{15} = \frac{16}{30}$

Step2: Solve for $h$

Multiply both sides by 15:
$h = \frac{16 \times 15}{30}$

Step3: Calculate the value

$h = \frac{240}{30} = 8$

Answer:

8 yards