Quadratic Word Problems

Quadratic Word Problem Scenarios

Scenario 1

Multiple Choice

Jack wants to know how high the soccer ball will get if he kicks it straight up in the air.

Which one are we looking for?

a. x at vertex

b. y at vertex

c. positive zero

• x at vertex

• y at vertex

• positive zero

Scenario 2

Multiple Choice

Lily wants to know how long her toy rocket will be in the air after she lights the fuse to launch it from a 1.5-foot launch pad.

Which one are we looking for?

a. x at vertex

b. y at vertex

c. positive zero

• x at vertex

• y at vertex

• positive zero

Scenario 3

Multiple Choice

Nancy is trying to find how many seconds it will take a golf ball to get to its highest point after being hit on the golf course.

Which one are we looking for?

a. x at vertex

b. y at vertex

c. positive zero

• x at vertex

• y at vertex

• positive zero

Scenario 4

Multiple Choice

Bill is wondering how long it will take a football to hit the ground after Tom Brady throws it during practice.

Which one are we looking for?

a. x at vertex

b. y at vertex

c. positive zero

• x at vertex

• y at vertex

• positive zero

Scenario 5

Multiple Choice

Sally threw a ball in the air. Sally’s friend wanted to find out how high the ball got given that it took 1 second to get to its highest point.

Which one are we looking for?

a. x at vertex

b. y at vertex

c. positive zero

• x at vertex

• y at vertex

• positive zero

Scenario 6

Multiple Choice

Ray found the maximum height of a basketball thrown from half court to be 21 feet and wants to know how long it took to get there.

Which one are we looking for?

a. x at vertex

b. y at vertex

c. positive zero

• x at vertex

• y at vertex

• positive zero

Multiple Choice

The height of a water balloon that is launched into the air is given by h(t) = -5t² + 40t + 2. From what height was the balloon released?

• 2 meters

• 5 meters

• 40 meters

• 20 meters

Multiple Choice

The height of a water balloon that is launched into the air is given by h(t) = -5x²+20x+25. When will the balloon explode on the ground?

• 5 seconds

• 1 second

• 2 seconds

• 3 seconds

Multiple Choice

Rafael drops a ball from a third-story window. This equation represents the approximate height, h, in meters, of the ball above the ground after it falls for t seconds.

h = -5t² + 45

When is the ball at ground level?

• only at t = 0 seconds

• only at t = 3 seconds

• only at t = 9 seconds

• at both t = 0 seconds and t = 3 seconds

Multiple Choice

A ball is thrown into the air with an upward velocity of 40ft/s. Its height h in feet after t seconds is given by the function :

h(t) = -16t² + 40t + 10

How many seconds does it take the ball to reach its maximum height?

• 1.25 seconds

• 1.4 seconds

• 2.5 seconds

• 2 seconds

Multiple Choice

Heather dropped a water balloon over the side of her school building from a height of 80 feet. The approximate height of the balloon at any point during its fall can be represented by the following quadratic equation:

h = -16t² + 80

About how long did it take for the balloon to hit the ground?

• 1.73 seconds

• 2.24 seconds

• 2.45 seconds

• 2.83 seconds

Multiple Choice

The profit from selling local ballet tickets depends on the ticket price. Using past receipts, we find that the profit can be modeled by the function:

p= -15x² +600x +60

What is the maximum profit you can make from selling tickets?

• $6060

• $20

• $600

• $10,250

Multiple Choice

You jump off a 24 foot high cliff and your fall is modeled by the function:

h(t) = -16t² + 8t + 24

When would you reach 16 feet above the water?

• 8 seconds

• 1 second

• 1/2 second

• 1/4 second

Multiple Choice

A diver is standing on a platform above the pool. He jumps form the platform with an initial upward velocity of 8 ft/s. Use the formula: h(t) = −16 t² + 8t + 24

How high is the platform?

• .25 ft

• 24 ft

• 25 ft

• 8 ft