Respuesta :
You can solve this problem by writing an equation of ratios and finding the value of the unknown that way:
10 ft 17 ft
---------- * ---------
50 ft x
Then 10x = 850, and so x = 85 feet.
This is a "similar triangle" problem. Set up a ratio comparing the flagpole to the tree as follows and cross multiply to solve for the missing value:
[tex] \frac{flagpole height}{flagpole length} [/tex] = [tex] \frac{tree height}{tree length} [/tex]
[tex] \frac{10}{17} [/tex] = [tex] \frac{x}{50} [/tex]
(10)(50) = (17)(x)
[tex] \frac{500}{17} [/tex] = x
29.4 ≈ x
Answer: 29.4 ft