Growing with Applied Mathematics Experiences (G.A.M.E.)

Geometry in my country

Brocéliande High School

Cylindrical and made of metal, white in color, with a total height of 45 meters, it offers visitors a panoramic view of the Futuroscope park while turning clockwise thanks to electric motors weighing nearly 17 tons.

Mary places herself as shown in the figure below, so that her shadow coincides with that of the towerof Futuroscope. After making several measurements, Adrien makes the diagram below (the diagram is not to scale), on which points A, E and B and points A, D and C are aligned.

Calculate the height BC of the tower.

Calculations

Property of Thales :

AC / AD = BC / DE.

BC = AC x DE / AD = 56.25 x 1.6 / 2 =45 m.

So, the height BC of the tower is 45m.