Algebra word problem

Question

The formula s= 16t ^2 is used to approximate the distance S, in feet, that an object falls freely from rest. How long would it take for an object to fall from the top?

Answer 1

Your question is missing the height from which the object falls. Let's let that equal H. So after the object reaches the ground it will have traveled H feet which is the value for s. We can solve for t.

 

H = 16t^2

H/16 = t^2   (Divide both sides by 16)

t= sqrt(H/16) = sqrt(H)/4  (Take the positive square root of both sides. We ignore the negative root because t is not defined in this problem for negative values/)

 

So once you know H, you can answer the problem by taking the square root and dividing by 4.