Long shadows
Weekly Problem 10 - 2012
If you know how long Meg's shadow is, can you work out how long the shadow is when she stands on her brother's shoulders?
If you know how long Meg's shadow is, can you work out how long the shadow is when she stands on her brother's shoulders?
Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
Problem
It is evening and Meg, who is 1 m tall, casts a shadow of length 3m. If Meg stands on her brother's shoulders, which are 1.5m above the ground, how long a shadow will she and her brother cast?
If you liked this problem, here is an NRICH task which challenges you to use similar mathematical ideas.
Student Solutions
The ratio of height to shadow length is 1:3. Their height will therefore be 3x(1+1.5)m = 7.5m long.