title: How to make a div's equal height in a multi column design which are positioned using floats?
body: <p>I am trying to make a page with a description section at the top and a three column section below it. I put a right and left border on the middle div because I believe it looks better but the content of the divs makes the divs a different height and I need them to be the same for the border to look good. I tried putting the three parallel divs in a container and set height: 100% in the css but it doesn't help. To make it easier to see the problem I have set a background on the container and the three divs if you would be kind enough to run the code on your desktop. Please may you help?</p>
  
  <p>Whilst I imagine that this problem could be solved using a single row table with three cells, I have seen nobody suggest that using tables is a good way to position a page - they all seem to favor the float method - is there a reason for this? Any help would be great.</p>
  
  <p>(please ignore the text on the webpage - it is just "mock content" - it's an essay I wrote when I was at school for my cultural studies homework on whether tax on oil should be raised; apologies).</p>
  
  <pre><code>&lt;style&gt;
  .article {
  background-color: black;
  }
  .main {
  color: white;
  margin: 0 10px 10px 10px;
  border: solid white 5px;
  border-radius: 10px;
  padding: 50px 10px 10px 10px;
  font-family: arial;
  position: relative;
  top:-50px;
  overflow: auto;
  }
  .final {
  z-index: 5;
  display: block;
  margin: 0 auto;
  position: relative;
  }
  #left {
  width: 30%;
  float: left;
  }
  #middle {
  width: 30%;
  float: left;
  margin-left: 2.5%;
  margin-right: 2.5%;
  border-left: 1px solid white;
  border-right: 1px solid white;
  padding: 0% 2% 0% 2%;
  }
  #right{
  width: 30%;
  float: left;
  }
  #left, #middle, #right {
  background: rgba(255,255,255,.3);
  height: 100%;
  }
  #container {
  background: rgba(255,255,255,.3);
  overflow: auto;
  height: auto;
  }
  &lt;/style&gt;
  &lt;div class="article"&gt;
  &lt;img src="http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p738/VinylTapUK/JuliaBalfourLeathercraftInverseColours_zps03a13ce0.jpg?t=1404230971" class="final"&gt;
  &lt;div class="main"&gt;
  &lt;p&gt;Global Warming is an ever increasing issue that seems to be monopolising each and every person’s brain that populates the earth. This is because of two main reasons. Firstly, media publication is almost constantly embedding scary stories – seemingly exaggerated to Hollywood-style levels until you dig deeper into the dark, unwelcoming yet unfortunately truthful crevices - and frightening forecasts into our malleable minds. Secondly, scientific evidence has become almost undeniable and projections of the self-destruction of human-kind are fast becoming reality. So it’s no wonder that not only tree-huggers but the rest of mankind – minus the odd few petrol-head half-wits with under-developed cranium contents that believe that the Earth orbits an enormous V8 engine – endeavour to find a solution to ending of human existence. However, is raising the tax on the incredibly attractive culprit (oil) a step in the right direction?&lt;/p&gt;
  &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; 
  &lt;div id="container"&gt;
  
  &lt;div id="left"&gt;Many people believe so. They argue that the raised price of a primary cause of Global Warming would 
  reduce the demand and therefore would at least slow the process should it not cease completely. This is similar to having 
  a diet. You have most probably recently seen a huge 20 stone hefferlump somehow defying the will of gravity by waddling 
  upright through the doors of a McDonalds to engulf another pile of fatty disgustiness they simply call a ‘Big-Mac’. At 
  this moment you most probably thought to yourself that he’s had enough, therefore you would suggest that he should stop 
  eating ‘Big-Mac’s’. This can be linked to humanities problem with Global Warming. If you think of this 20 stone monster 
  as all humans and the burgers as the oil, you can probably see where they are coming from. They think that raising the 
  price of the burger will entice the big-boy into eating a less expensive, healthier yet less appealing pile of salad 
  similarly to enticing mankind to use a greener energy source such as Hydrogen.&lt;/div&gt;
  
  &lt;div id="middle"&gt;On the other hand, some disagree. Whilst primitive, gas-guzzling, throttle-bashers fall into this 
  category, there is a valid argument to disagree. This is reflected by the amount of ‘normal people’ seeking a prosperous,
   clean and green future for their species that support the rebellion against higher taxes. They argue that raising tax on
   the sticky, flammable yet wonderful liquid we all consume faster than Fearne Britton gets to the dinner table, would be 
  unnecessary (because of other potential options) and daft given the current economic situation. They believe other options
   are available that would both, not cause an uproar from the public and be more effective. There are endless options 
  available to the government – the list is longer than all of Santa’s wish-lists put together – however our botched-together 
  government seem to find deciding on one good option as challenging as finding a corner on a sphere.&lt;/div&gt;
  
  &lt;div id="right"&gt;Overall, the idea of going on a diet of hydrogen seems to be the way to solve our unconquerable
   problem. However, is raising tax on oil going to help? I personally think it’s a poor effort. This is similar to 
  turning up at the epicentre of the world’s first 10-on-the-richter-scale earthquake with a vacuum cleaner to try 
  and help tidy up. Action needs to be taken, this is a widely accepted statement however it needs to be soon and it 
  needs to be better than this!&lt;/div&gt;
  &lt;/div&gt;
  &lt;/div&gt;
  &lt;/div&gt;
  </code></pre>