Chapter 0.6, Problem 12E

To determine

To evaluate: the height of the building.

Answer to Problem 12E

The height of the building must be 65 feet.

Explanation of Solution

Given information:

It is given that, a surveyor finds that a telephone pole that is 25 feet tall is casting a shadow 20 feet long.

The nearby building is casting a shadow 52 feet long.

The diagram is shown below,

  

It can be seen from the diagram that both the triangles are similar,

So,

  $\begin{array}{l}\frac{\text{x }feet}{25feet}=\frac{52feet}{20feet}\\ x=\frac{52\times 25}{20}\\ x=65feet\end{array}$

So,

The height of the building must be 65 feet.