Question

Find the missing height: To find the height of the tree, juan marked the tree at eye level, 5.5ft above the ground. He measured 25ft from the base of the tree and then held a 6in ruler vertically in front of his eye until the ruler just obscured the tree above the mark. Using a string tied through a hole in one end of the ruler, juan found that the distance from his eye to the ruler was 4.5 in. what is the exact height of the tree?

Answer 1

@tkhunny

Answer 2

What has the drawing to do with the problem statement?

Always think on "Similar Triangles" with such problems.

\(\dfrac{4.5"}{6"} = \dfrac{25' + 4.5"}{(Tree\;Height) - 5.5'}\)

You just have to draw a good enough picture and put all the pieces together.

Don't forget to convert all your inches (") to feet (').