The path of a soccer ball can be modeled by the equation HX equals negative 1/2 x x - 20 where hx is the height of the ball and x is the horizontal distance of the ball has traveled to determine how far the ball has traveled when it hits the ground Leon set the height equal to zero and obtained the equation 0 = -1/2x x - 20 how come he use the zero product property to find the horizontal distance of the ball has traveled when the height of the soccer ball equals 0 is it a cancel out the x then multiply -1/2 and -20 b plug in 0 for all the x terms in the function c solve the two equations negative 1/2x = 0 and x - 20 = 0 or did he cannot use zero product property because the height will never be zero

Question

The path of a soccer ball can be modeled by the equation HX equals negative 1/2 x x - 20 where hx is the height of the ball and x is the horizontal distance of the ball has traveled to determine how far the ball has traveled when it hits the ground Leon set the height equal to zero and obtained the equation 0 = -1/2x x - 20 how come he use the zero product property to find the horizontal distance of the ball has traveled when the height of the soccer ball equals 0 is it a cancel out the x then multiply -1/2 and -20 b plug in 0 for all the x terms in the function c solve the two equations negative 1/2x = 0 and x - 20 = 0 or did he cannot use zero product property because the height will never be zero

Answer 1

Leon used the zero product property in order to find the horizontal distance at which the ball hits the ground. He set the equation equal to zero because at the point where the ball hits the ground, the height will be zero.

Using the zero product property, he can solve for the value of x that makes the equation equal to zero. This value of x represents the horizontal distance that the ball has traveled when it hits the ground.

Therefore, the correct option is c) solve the two equations -1/2x = 0 and x - 20 = 0.