A coconut falls off a tree branch that is 30 ft off the ground. The height (in ft) of the coconut as it falls is given by h=-16t^2+30.

Question

A coconut falls off a tree branch that is 30 ft off the ground. The height (in ft) of the coconut as it falls is given by h=-16t^2+30, where t is the time in seconds since the coconut started falling. A basket below the tree breaks the fall at a height of 2 feet. Find the elapsed time before the coconut hits the basket, to the nearest tenth.

Answer 1

h = -16t² + 30 = 2

16t² = 32

t=√2 =1.414