Question

Aiden is visiting the zoo on a field trip. While at the zoo, he sees a 10 foot tall adult elephant standing next to a 15 foot tall statue that is casting a 18 foot shadow. Carson wants to know the length of the elephant’s shadow. Show your work.

Answer 1

Set up a ratio:

10 foot tall elephant / X shadow length = 15 foot tall statue / 18 foot shadow.

Cross multiply:

10 * 18 = X * 15

Simplify:

180 = 15x

Divide both sides by 15:

x = 180 / 15

x = 12

The elephants shadow was 12 feet long.