A juggler throws a ball into the air from a height of 5 ft with an initial vertical velocity of 16 ft/s. The function that models the height h of the ball in feet t seconds after the ball is thrown is h(t) = -16t2 + 16t + 5. How long does the juggler have to catch the ball before it hits the ground? _______ s.

Question

anonymous · Answer

Solve for t by using either quad formula or graphing.  Find the roots.  One is negative and one is positive.  You can't have negative time. So it must be the positive one. I get 1.25 seconds.

anonymous · Answer

Here's an interactive site that may be of some help if you don't have a graphing calculator. http://www.mathsisfun.com/quadratic-equation-solver.html