Question

Miranda hiked to the top of a waterfall. She wanted to know the waterfall's height, but she was unable to measure it. Miranda created a proportion using the information from triangles PQS and TRS to calculate the height of the waterfall.
The numbers are 256, 730, and 480.


How tall is the waterfall? (Round your answer to the nearest foot.)

Answer 1

Triangles PQS and TRS are similar triangles.PS = 730 + 256 = 986 ft.RT = 480 ft.The height of the waterfall: PQ = xThe proportion:
x : 986 = 480 : 730730 x = 480 * 986730 x = 473,280x = 473,280 : 730x = 648.32 ≈ 648 ft.Answer: The height of the waterfall is 648 ft.