Punxsutawney Phil popped out of his burrow and saw his 3 foot long shadow.  Standing on his hind legs, Phil is 16 inches tall.  At the same time, a nearby telephone pole casts a 45 foot long shadow.  How tall is the telephone pole?

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Answer:  20 feet Strategy: Set up a proportion

3 feet = 36 inches

              16   ₌    x 
              36        45     you can reduce 16/36 to 4/9, so...

              4   ₌    x 
              9        45

Solve using the "cross-products" rule:
9x = 180
x = 20

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