A length of rope is stretched between the top edge of a building and a stake in the ground. The rope also touches a tree halfway between the stake and the building. If the building is 36 feet tall, how tall is the tree?
x - the height of the building. x1 - the height of the tree. y - the distance between the building and the stake. y1 - the distance between the tree and the stake.
x = 36 ft x1 = ? y = 1 y1 = 0.5 (because it is halfway between the stake and the building, which is y)
By similar triangles: x : x1 = y : y1 36 : x1 = 1 : 0.5 x1 = 36 * 0.5 : 1 x1 = 18 ft
