Snoopy is in his plane 4500 feet above the ground. He fires a projectile straight up. The initial velocity of the projectile is 340 feet per second. (After the projectile is fired, it has no acceleration, so its height can be modeled by a "falling body" model.) The Red Baron is maintaining a constant altitude of 5200 feet.
When, on the way up, might the projectile intersect the Red Baron? Explain how you determined this. Use the eqution y=4500+340x-16x^2

Question

Snoopy is in his plane 4500 feet above the ground. He fires a projectile straight up. The initial velocity of the projectile is 340 feet per second. (After the projectile is fired, it has no acceleration, so its height can be modeled by a "falling body" model.) The Red Baron is maintaining a constant altitude of 5200 feet.
When, on the way up, might the projectile intersect the Red Baron? Explain how you determined this. Use the eqution y=4500+340x-16x^2

anonymous · Answer

do you know how to find the vertex of the function?

anonymous · Answer

No.

anonymous · Answer

have you learned completing the square?
using completing the square you can change the function into the vertex form $y=a(x-h)^2-k$ where (h,k) is the vertex. the value of $k$ will be the maximum height of the projectile. comparing it to the height of the Red Baron will determine whether it will intersect the projectile...

anonymous · Answer

No, we haven't gotten to that yet but I'll ask my teacher about that. Thank you!

jdoe0001 · Answer

or  you could also get the vertex of a parabola like so $\bf y=ax^2+bx+c$ at the coordinates of $\bf \left(-\cfrac{b}{2a}\quad ,\quad  c-\cfrac{b^2}{4a}\right)$

anonymous · Answer

Thank you!

jdoe0001 · Answer

yw