A basketball is thrown straight up into the air from a height of 5.5 ft with an initial velocity of 9 ft/s. Which function models the height of the ball after t seconds?
The function that models the height of the ball after t seconds can be given by:
\[ H(t) = -16t^2 + 9t + 5.5 \]
where:
- \( H(t) \) is the height of the ball at time t
- \( -16t^2 \) represents the effects of gravity (acceleration due to gravity)
- \( 9t \) represents the initial velocity of the ball
- \( 5.5 \) represents the initial height of the ball
Note: The value of acceleration due to gravity is taken to be \( 16 \, ft/s^2 \) for simplification purposes.