Word Problem

Question

A volleyball is thrown straight up. The equation that describes its motion is h(t) = -16t^2 + 48t + 4, where h represents the height in feet and t represents time in seconds. How long will it take for the ball to hit the ground? Round to the nearest hundredth, if necessary.

Answer 1

Hi Ceejay,

 

If you solve for the roots of the quadratic function using the quadratic formula, the positive root equals 3.08 (rounded to the nearest hundredth). So, it will take 3.08 seconds for the ball to hit the ground.

Notice that at t=0, the ball is at 4 m height.