The systolic blood pressure of a healthy person can be modeled as a function of their age by P(a) =0.001a^2 + 0.005a + 107. How old is a healthy person with a blood pressure of 132.4?

Answer 1

P(a) = 0.001a² + 0.005a + 107

Set P(a) equal to 132.4 and solve the resulting quadratic equation for a.

0.001a² + 0.005a + 107 = 132.4 ⇒

0.001a² + 0.005a - 25.4 = 0

Now use the quadratic formula and get

a ≅ 156.9

But this is an extremely high age. Are the numbers in the question correct?