Josh hit a baseball straight up into the air. The equation below describes the height of the ball (h), in meters, as a function of time (t) in seconds.
h(t) = -9.8t² + 30t + 1.5
what's the question asking?
To find the height of the ball at a specific time, you can plug that time into the equation for h(t) and solve for h.
Let's say you want to find the height of the ball at t = 2 seconds. You would substitute t = 2 into the equation:
h(2) = -9.8(2)² + 30(2) + 1.5
To solve this, follow the order of operations, which is parentheses, exponents, multiplication/division (from left to right), and addition/subtraction (from left to right).
First, calculate the exponent 2² = 4:
h(2) = -9.8(4) + 30(2) + 1.5
Next, perform the multiplications:
h(2) = -39.2 + 60 + 1.5
Now, add and subtract according to the order of operations:
h(2) = -39.2 + 60 + 1.5 = 22.3
Therefore, the height of the ball at t = 2 seconds is 22.3 meters.