When I cut down a dead tree, I want to know if it is going to hit my house. What is a simple way to find the height of the tree?
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ANSWERS: 3
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If you make a template at 45 degrees (could be as simple as a square piece of card cut diagonally in half), and then walk to where you can aim at the top of the tree from where you are standing, you are the same distance from the tree as it is tall.
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Here's a supplement to DavidHume's answer: If you can measure the length of the tree's shadow: Measure the shadow. Measure the shadow of a ruler standing at the same angle as the tree. Divide. Result gives you the tree's height in so many lengths of ruler. e.g. shadow of tree = 14 feet, shadow of 1 foot ruler = 14 inches. 14 feet divided by 14 inches = 12 Height of tree = 12 * ruler = 12 feet.
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I saw this on Mr. Wizard when I was a kid: Fill a pan with water and make sure its sunny outside. Move the pan away from the tree whlei keeping it on the ground until you can see the top of the tree in the water's reflection. Now you can measure the distance from the pan of water to the base of the tree and this will give you the height of the tree. Ta da!
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