Question

ff.5 similar figures and indirect measurement 8vj
a shadow 45 meters long is cast by a bell tower that is 24 meters tall. if a nearby maypole is 16 meters tall, then how long will the maypoles shadow be?
write your answer as a whole number or a decimal. do not round.
_____ meters

Explanation:

Step1: Set up proportion

$\frac{\text{Bell tower height}}{\text{Bell tower shadow}} = \frac{\text{Maypole height}}{\text{Maypole shadow}}$
$\frac{24}{45} = \frac{16}{x}$

Step2: Cross-multiply to solve

$24x = 16 \times 45$
$24x = 720$

Step3: Isolate x

$x = \frac{720}{24}$
$x = 30$

Answer:

30 meters