a boy 45 in tall casts a shadow 90 long. At the same time his father casts a shadow 144 in
Cross multiply and solve for x.
45/90 = x/144
I don't get it!
To solve this problem, we can use the concept of similar triangles. Similar triangles are triangles that have the same shape but possibly different sizes.
Let's assume the height of the boy is represented by "h" and the length of his shadow is represented by "s." Similarly, we can assume the height of the father is represented by "H" and the length of his shadow is represented by "S."
We can set up a proportion using the similar triangles:
h / s = H / S
Given that the boy is 45 inches tall and his shadow is 90 inches long, we can plug in these values into the proportion:
45 / 90 = H / 144
Now, we can solve for "H" by cross multiplying:
45 * 144 = 90 * H
6480 = 90H
Divide both sides of the equation by 90:
6480 / 90 = H
H = 72
Therefore, the height of the father is 72 inches.