If an object is dropped from a height of 144 ft, the function h(t)=-16t^2+144 gives the height of the object after t seconds. When will the object hit the ground?

Question

If an object is dropped from a height of 144 ft, the function h(t)=-16t^2+144 gives the height of the object after t seconds. When will the object hit the ground?

Answer 1

To find when the object will hit the ground, we need to set h(t) = 0 and solve for t.

h(t) = -16t^2 + 144
0 = -16t^2 + 144
16t^2 = 144
t^2 = 9
t = ±3

Since time cannot be negative in this context, the object will hit the ground after 3 seconds.