3) How tall is the building?
You stand NEXT TO a building. Your height is $5 \mathrm{ft}$, and your shadow is $8 \mathrm{ft}$. The building has a shadow of 28 feet. How tall is the building? Draw a picture and write and solve a proportion to answer the question.
Final Answer: The height of the building is \(\boxed{17.5}\) feet.
Step 1 :Draw a picture and notice that the person and the building form similar triangles with their shadows.
Step 2 :Set up a proportion using the person's height and shadow length and the building's height and shadow length: \(\frac{5}{8} = \frac{x}{28}\)
Step 3 :Solve for x: \(x = \frac{5}{8} \times 28\)
Step 4 :Calculate the value of x: \(x = 17.5\)
Step 5 :Final Answer: The height of the building is \(\boxed{17.5}\) feet.