Object hitting the ground

Question

An object is dropped from 27 feet below the tip of the pinnacle atop a 1472 ft building. The height of the object after t seconds is given by the equation h=-16t^2+1444. How many seconds until the object reaches the ground.

Answer 1

Another way to phrase the question is "what is the value of t when h is 0?". We can use the given equation to help us find out:

-16t² + 1444 = 0

-16t² = -1444

t² = 1444/16

t = 38/4 = 19/2

So the answer is 19/2 or 9.5 seconds.