A juggler is performing an act by juggling several balls. The juggler throws the balls up at an initial height of 3.9 feet with a speed of 14.8 feet per second. If the juggler did not catch a ball, about how long will it take the ball to hit the floor?

Question

tennistar · Answer

h(t) = 0 = 3.9 + 14.8t - 16.1t²

16.1t² - 14.8t - 3.9 = 0
t = [14.8 ± √(14.8² + 4*16.1*3.9)]/32.2 ≈ 1.14 seconds
(the t < 0 root can be discarded as outside the domain)