The shadow of a 3m long stick is 4m long. At the same time of the day, if the shadow of a flagstaff is 24m long, how tall is the flagstaff?
The ratio of shadow to the height would remain the same
When height is 3 m the shadow is 4 m
⇒ ratio = = …(i)
When shadow is 24 m let the height be ‘a’ m
⇒ ratio = =
Using (i)
⇒ =
Cross multiplying
⇒ 24 × 3 = 4 × a
⇒ a = = 6 × 3
⇒ a = 18
Height of the flagstaff is 18 m