Quadratics Directed Investigation

For our investigation, we are investigating the various mathematical aspects of a tennis ball being thrown into the air for a period of time.

Tennis Ball Throw Height

40 35 30 25 Metres 20 (H) 15 10 5 0 0 1 2 3 Seconds (t) 4 5 6

1.) 2.) The Quadratic Equation to go along with this data is y = -4.962 + 23.65 + 6.41 which was found using the Quad Reg function on a TI-84 Plus Graphics Calculator. 3. a) The x-intercept is -0.257 and 5.025. b) The y-intercept is 6.41 c) The axis of symmetry is x = 2.36 d) The vertex is (2.36, 34.59) All of these values were found using a Graphics Calculator 4.)

5.) When the ball was released, the thrower was likely to be standing on a one story building. This is because before he threw the ball (when t was at 0) he was already 6.41m above the ground. The yintercept tells us this information. 6.) The maximum height reached by the ball was 34.59 metres. It reached this height 2.36 seconds after the ball had been thrown. This was found by using a Graphics Calculator. 7.) After 3.5 seconds, the height of the ball is at 28.425 metres. This was found by using a Graphics Calculator. 8.) After 3.347 seconds, the ball reached a height of 30 metres. This was found by using a Graphics Calculator. 9.) The ball hits the ground 5.025 seconds after it is thrown. This was found by using a Graphics Calculator. 10.) There is no significance of the left x-intercept. This is because the quadratic cannot predict what the ball was doing before it was thrown into the air. In conclusion, we found that after a certain period of time, the tennis ball starts to rapidly decrease back to ground.