A Pole 24 Feet High Has A Shadow 8 Feet Long. A Nearby Pole Is 72 Feet Tall. How Long Is It's Shadow?

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5 Answers

Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
To answer this Q properly, we must know the exact distance of the first pole from the second.  If the second pole were in exactly the same place as first, it would be 1/3 of its height, at 24 feet, but "nearby" means that height of shadow will be different.  You must be provided the distance of the first pole from second to figure this answer accurately.
thanked the writer.
Anonymous
Anonymous commented
Well it doesn't say. I just wrote exactly what the question asked
Oddman
Oddman commented
Because the Earth is not flat, two poles any distance apart will have shadows not quite in the same ratio. The actual ratio is a function of many parameters. There's probably more error due to the rotation of the Earth during the time it takes to do the measurement, than from some of the other factors. In real life, actually identifying the end of the shadow well enough to measure it with any accuracy is also a problem. Given all of that, the problem is fundamentally a mathematical one, having only a slight relationship to the real world.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
I think it's nine feet long
thanked the writer.
Anonymous
Anonymous commented
No the answers given are 16, 24, 32, or 56 ft
Wayne Mahood
Wayne Mahood commented
Go with the ratio, 24:8 = 3:1, if 74:x = 3:1, then x = 24 which was one of your options. Amore001 has a point, but if the poles are a long way from the light source (like the earth to the Sun) and the poles are reasonably close to each other (like within a couple of miles) then I'm sure that the ratio is enough to satisfy the answer to the question.
Ryan Rugraff Profile
Ryan Rugraff answered
First figure your ratio of, feet in Height : Length of shadow. Second apply the ratio to the second figure (i.e. 72' H : Shadow L). Just a clue not the answer.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
Let x= the shadow of the 72 feet pole.
using ratio and proportion:

24/8 =72/x
x= 24 ft

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