MTH 122 CSUGC The Choice of Quadratic Equation Discussion Responses
Please respond:POST1:The quadratic equation is used to describe the relationship between objects that are thrown and how long it takes to hit the ground.In spirit of playoffs, I decided to determine how long a punt takes to hit the ground. As I discovered in combing through ways of finding relevant information, the science of a punt is pretty fascinating. For instance, using a right triangle you can determine the necessary angle for a kick to account for distance. That is a function by itself. For this discussion I will just focus on the quadratic equation to determine how long the average punt takes to hit the ground. This would be relevant to know because members of a special team should be able to cover this distance before the ball hits the return man.The formula_y=-4.9t^2+V0(t)+H0 where -4.9t^2 is the constant of gravity, V0 is the initial velocity in Meters/Second and H0 is the starting height.This formula is created due to the effect of the football traveling in a parabola. When the ball is first kicked it travels upward. Starting from the initial launch, the effect of gravity begins to counteract the initial velocity, eventually causing the football to fall. The actual function output is height.Y=-4.9t^2+39.2t+2.45Solving by factoring: I don’t like this method. It usually doesn’t work to solve complex equations.Solving by completing the square_y=-4.9t^2+39.2t+2.45-4.9t^2+39.2t+2.45=0-2t^2+16t+1=0-2t^2+16t+1=0 put into the form t^2+2at+a^2+b-2(t^2-8t+16-.5-16)=0-2(t-4)^2-.5-16=0-2(t-4)^2-16.5=0(t-4)^2=-16.52/2 t= +/-(?16.52+4)/2t=8.062t=-0.062In this case, total time is equal to 8.062 seconds when the ball lands (ignoring -0.062 because it isn’t relevant)Solving using the quadratic equation_y=-4.9t2+39.2t+2.45 we set the equation equal to 0 and divide by negative like terms and to give us whole and positive term value 0=2t^2-16t-1Using the quadratic formula we plug in the values of a, b and ct=(-(-16)^2 +/-?(-16)2-42(-1)22)/2*2Solving this equation we get the same answers: t=-0.062 and t=8.062I like completing the square and quadratic formula because they are similar and allow to manipulate numbers that don’t necessarily factor easilySource:Quadratic Applications: Projectile Motion (n.d). Retrieved from POST2:Over the weekend, I went on a canoe trip. I spent the morning traveling upstream and the afternoon traveling downstream. Overall, I spent 4 hours traveling 10 miles. I know that the stream I was canoeing flows at 3 MPH. Now I need to find out at what speed I traveled. (distance upstream/speed current) + (distance downstream/speed + current) = 4 hours(10 / x -3) + (10 / x+3) = 4 hours10 (x+3) + 10 (x-3) = 4 (x+3)(x-3)10x + 30 + 10x 30 = 4(X^2 9)20X = 4x^2 9F(x) = 4x^2 20x 9Quadratic Formula:X = (-b +/- ?(b^2-4ac)) / 2aX = (-(-20)+/- ?(-(-20)-4(4)(-20))) / ((2)(4))X = (20 +/- ?(400 + 144))) / 8X = (20 +/- ?(544))/8X = 5.41X = -0.41Therefore, since I cannot travel at a negative speed, I traveled at 5.41 MPH.Completing the square:4x^2 20x 9 = 0(4/4)x^2 (20/4)x (9/4) = (0/4)X^2 -5x (9/4) = 0X^2 5x = (9/4)X^2 5x + (25/4) = (9/4) + (25/4)(X (5/2))^2 = (34/4)X (5/2) = +/-?(17/2)X = (5/2) +/- ?(17/2)X = 5.41X = -0.41Overall, I preferred to use the quadratic formula. I found that it was easier for me to plug numbers into a formula versus what I saw as a massive amount of work by completing the square.
