1.

Read the problem and graph the quadratic equation

2. Determine what the problem is asking for and how you will use it.
a. The vertex?
b. The max?
c. The min?
d. The zeros?
e. Something else?
3. Use the graph to locate what the question is asking for.
4. Reread the problem to double-check your work.
Use your skills…
1. A ball is thrown vertically with an initial speed of 80 feet per second. The height h,
in feet, above the starting point after t seconds is given by the equation
f (h) = −16 t 2 + 80 t . What is the maximum height reached by the ball?

Step 1: Plug the equation into the calculator. Sketch the graph below.

Step 2: What is the question asking for? Where on the graph will you find the
answer?

Step 3: Find the coordinates of the ______________________.

Step 4: Does this answer make sense for what the question is asking?
About 500 years ago Galileo discovered the basic mathematical relationship that
describes vertical motion. Vertical motion is the motion of an object that is thrown, hit,
dropped, or shot straight up or straight down. Galileo found that vertical motion can be
modeled by the equation:
y = −16 x 2 + vx
In this equation, y is the number of feet above the place where the object starts moving,
x is the time in seconds from the moment the object starts moving, and v is the initial
velocity (or speed) in feet per second.

Task 1
Suppose Barry Bonds hits a foul ball straight up with an initial velocity of 160 feet per
second.
1. Write the equation for vertical motion of the ball.

Use complete sentences to answer the following questions.

2. How high is the ball (above the level at which his bat hit it):
a. 1 second after it is hit?

b. 2 seconds?

c. 10 seconds?

d. 15 seconds?

3. Do all the answers to question 2 make sense in this problem situation? Why or why

not?

4. When will the ball be back at the same height at which Barry hit it? How do you know?

5. When is the ball at its highest point? How do you know?

6. When is the ball 384 feet above the point at which Barry hit it? (HINT: Think about
whether there is more than one answer!)

7. When is the ball 364 feet higher than the level at which Barry’s bat made contact with
it? (HINT: Think about whether there is more than one answer!)

8. Use the information you have found so far about the problem situation to fill in this

table.
 X

Task 2
Suppose Mark McGwire hits a foul ball from the ground straight up with an initial
velocity of 80 fet per second.

1. Write the equation for vertical motion of the ball.

Use complete sentences to answer the following questions.

2. How high is the ball (above the level at which his bat hit it):
a. 1 second after it is hit?

b. 2 seconds?

c. 5 seconds?

d. 10 seconds?

3. Do all the answers to question 2 make sense in this problem situation? Why or why

not?

4. When will the ball be back on the ground? How do you know?

5. When is the ball at its highest point? How do you know?

6. When is the ball 384 feet off the ground? (HINT: Think about whether there is more
than one answer!)

7. When is the ball 96 feet off the ground? (HINT: Think about whether there is more
than one answer!)

8. Use the information you have found so far about the problem situation to fill in this
table.

9. What is a major difference between where the ball was hit in this task and where it
was hit in Task 1? How does the difference affect how y is defined in each task?
10. In Task 1, if you knew that Barry hit the ball with his bat when the ball was 3
feet in the air, what would you have to do to the y-values so that you could
represent the ball’s height above the ground instead of only its height from the
level at which he hit it?

11. Continue to assume that Barry hit the ball when it was already 3 feet in the
air. If your answer for problem 1 in Task 1 represents its height above that point,
how could you symbolically express its height above the ground?

12. If Barry hits the ball when it was already 3 feet in the air, what is the highest the
ball will travel?