Solving Quadratic Word Problems

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 = -16t^2 + 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

An object in launched directly upward at 64 feet per second (ft/s) from a platform 80 feet high. Its height is represented by the equation

s(t) = –16t² + 64t + 80

What will be the object's maximum height?

• 2 ft

• 80 ft

• 144 ft

• 64 ft

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

h(t) = -16t² + 8t + 24

How long would it take you to hit the water?

• 8 seconds

• 1 second

• 1.5 seconds

• 1/4 second

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

• A

• B

• C

• D

The sum of a number and its square is 72. Find the number(s).

• 8 or 9

• 8 or -9

• -8 or 9

• -8 or -9

Answer to part c is....

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) = -16t^2 + 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

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. 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