a football player punts a ball. the path of the ball can be modeled by the equation y=-.004x^2+x+2.5, where x is the horizontal distance in feet the ball travels and y is the height, in feet, of the ball. How far from the football player will the ball land? round to the nearest tenth of a foot.

Question

campbell_st · Answer

well the ball lands when the height is zero... 

so set y = 0 and solve using the general quadratic formula... 

only take the positive value of x, as distance can't be negative