The Eastern Point Lighthouse in Gloucester, Massachusetts was established in 1832 to help fishermen into the harbor. It is still used today by the Coast Guard. A fisherman along the shore wanted to know how tall it was. He is 6 ft. tall and he measures his shadow to be 1.7 ft. The lighthouse casts a shadow of 10.2 ft., approximately how tall is the Eastern Point Lighthouse?
A)
17.9 feet
B)
36 feet
C)
61.2 feet
D)
104 feet

Question

The Eastern Point Lighthouse in Gloucester, Massachusetts was established in 1832 to help fishermen into the harbor. It is still used today by the Coast Guard. A fisherman along the shore wanted to know how tall it was. He is 6 ft. tall and he measures his shadow to be 1.7 ft. The lighthouse casts a shadow of 10.2 ft., approximately how tall is the Eastern Point Lighthouse?
A)
17.9 feet	
B)
36 feet	
C)
61.2 feet	
D)
104 feet

anonymous · Answer

use proportions to answer this question: 
solve for the variable with cross multiplication:

6 ft/1.7ft = x ft/10.2ft
1.7x = (6)(10.2)
1.7x = 61.2
x = 36 ft