A tree is now 12 feet tall and grows 18 inches a year. In how many years will the tree be 36 feet tall?
To convert inches to feet, I divide by 12, since there are 12 inches in a foot. So, 18 inches per year is the same as 18/12 feet per year, which simplifies to 1.5 feet per year. Now, I need to find out how much the tree needs to grow to reach 36 feet. I can do this by subtracting its current height from its desired height. That is, 36 - 12 = 24 feet. So, the tree needs to grow 24 feet more. To find out how many years it will take to grow that much, I can divide the amount of growth by the rate of growth. That is, 24 / 1.5 = 16 years. So, the tree will be 36 feet tall in 16 years. 