The council tells Mrs Hussein that the tree in her garden is too tall, and orders her to reduce its height by 15%. She cuts 75cm off the top of the tree to meet the regulations. How tall was her tree originally? Give your answer in m.
Let "x" be the original height of the tree in meters.
15% of x is (15/100)*x = 0.15x.
To reduce its height by 15%, Mrs Hussein cuts off 75 cm, or 0.75 meters.
So, the new height of the tree is x - 0.75 meters.
The equation to represent this is:
x - 0.75 = 0.85x.
Combining like terms, we get 0.85x - x = 0.75.
Simplifying further, we get 0.15x = 0.75.
Dividing both sides of the equation by 0.15, we get x = 5.
Therefore, the tree was originally 5 meters tall. Answer: \boxed{5}.