A potato gun is a device made out of plastic pipe that launches a potato using compressed air. They
can be great fun, and even educational for physics and math, as this question illustrates. A potato
launched by a particular potato gun has a height described by h(t)
- 16t2 + 168t + 5. When
is the potato 325 feet in the air?
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The potato is 325 feet in the air after
seconds on the way back down.
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seconds on the way up and after

Respuesta :

Answer:

1.68 seconds.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question, is, essentially asking for time, t, at position 325 feet.

So:

Set h(t) equal to 325.

325 = 16t^2 + 168t + 5

Subtract 325 over, to get the quadratic:

0 = 16t^2 + 168t - 320

Factor out an eight, simply to make the equation easier:

0 = 2t^2 + 21t - 41

Now, use the quadratic formula to find the "zeros", or solutions:

{-21 + (21^2 - [(4)(2)(-41)]^.5}/(2)(2); {-21 - (21^2 - [(4)(2)(-41)]^.5}/(2)(2)

Simplify:

(-21 + [441 + 328]^.5)/4; (-21 - [441 + 328]^.5)/4

(-21 + [769]^.5)/4; (-21 - [769]^.5)/4

(-21 + 27.73)/4; (-21 - 27.73)/4

(6.73)/4; (-48.73/4)

t = 1.68, -12.18

It makes no sense for t to be negative, since t represents time.

Therefore, the potato is 325 feet in the air after 1.68 seconds.

I hope this helped! :)