Height of a Zero Gravity Parabolic Flight

Math 1010 Intermediate Algebra Group Project

Have you ever wondered what it might feel like to
float weightless in space? One way to try it out is to
fly on a special aircraft that astronauts use to train for
their trips to space. Both NASA and the Russian Space
Agency have been flying these for years. The way this
,

is accomplished is to fly to a high altitude, drop down

to gain speed, and then start a large parabolic path up
in the sky. For a time ranging from 10 to 20 seconds,
along the top part of the parabolic flight, an
environment

simulating zero gravity is created within the plane. This effect can cause some nausea in

the participants, giving rise to the name "Vomit Comet", the plane used by NASA for zero-G parabolic
training flights. Currently there is a private company that will sell you a zero-G ride, though it is a bit
expensive.
This lab will have you take a look at the parabolic path to try to determine the maximum altitude the
plane reaches. First, you will work with data given about the parabola to come up with a quadratic
model for the flight. Then you will work to find the maximum value of the model.

Now for the data:

Height of a Zero-G Flight t Seconds After

Starting a Parabolic Flight Path
Time t in seconds

--2-3-6-4~-1

Height h in feet

320~~

337~~

To find the quadratic model, you will be plugging the data into the model h = at2 + bt + c.
The data points given are just like x and y values, where the x value is the time t in seconds and
the y value is the altitude h in feet. Plug these into the model and you will get equations with a,
band c.
Part 1: Write your 3 by 3 system of equations for a, b, and c.

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Part 4: Find the maximum value of the quadratic function.

Make sure to show your work.

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your axes is to have the lower left point be (0, 20000)

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Part 6: Reflective Writing.

Did this project change the way you think about how math can be applied to the real world?
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stating what ideas changed and why.

way you think, write how this project gave further

about applying math.

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