QuestionA ball is thrown upward at an initial velocity of , from a height of 1.5 m above the ground. The height of the ball, in metres, above the ground, after seconds, is modelled by the equation . a) After how many seconds does the ball land on the ground? Round your answer to the nearest tenth of a second. b) What is the maximum height, to the nearest metre, that the ball reaches?
Studdy Solution
STEP 1
1. The motion of the ball is modeled by the quadratic equation .
2. The ball lands on the ground when its height .
3. The maximum height is found at the vertex of the parabola described by the quadratic equation.
STEP 2
1. Solve for the time when the ball lands on the ground.
2. Determine the time at which the ball reaches its maximum height.
3. Calculate the maximum height using the time found in step 2.
STEP 3
Set the height equation to zero to find when the ball lands on the ground:
STEP 4
Solve the quadratic equation using the quadratic formula , where , , and .
STEP 5
Calculate the discriminant :
STEP 6
Calculate the values of :
STEP 7
Compute the two possible values for :
Since time cannot be negative, we use .
STEP 8
To find the time at which the ball reaches its maximum height, use the vertex formula :
STEP 9
Substitute into the height equation to find the maximum height:
STEP 10
Calculate the maximum height:
Round to the nearest metre:
The ball lands on the ground after approximately seconds, and the maximum height reached is approximately metres.
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