Name __________________________________ I.D.

Number _________________________

Project 2
Evaluation 32
Second Year Algebra 1 (MTHH 039 059)

Be sure to include ALL pages of this project (including the directions and the assignment) when you
send the project to your teacher for grading. Don’t forget to put your name and I.D. number at the
top of this page!
This project will count for 8% of your overall grade for this course and contains a possible 100 points
total. Be sure to read all the instructions and assemble all the necessary materials before you begin.
You will need to print this document and complete it on paper. Feel free to attach extra pages if you
need them.
When you have completed this project you may submit it electronically through the online course
management system by scanning the pages into either .pdf (Portable Document Format), or .doc
(Microsoft Word document) format. If you scan your project as images, embed them in a Word
document in .gif image format. Using .gif images that are smaller than 8 x 10 inches, or 600 x 800
pixels, will help ensure that the project is small enough to upload. Remember that a file that is larger
than 5,000 K will NOT go through the online system. Make sure your pages are legible before you
upload them. Check the instructions in the online course for more information.

Part A – Building a Business (possible 13 points)

Activity: You are the owner of a small chocolate factory that produces two popular chocolate bars,
Mr. Yummy Bar and Choc O Lot. Your mission is to find out how many of each type of chocolate bar
you should produce each day to maximize your company’s profit.

 You are successful because of two

secret ingredients, Flavor A and
Flavor B. To protect your profitable
business, the table on the right
shows production rate and
requirement of the flavors.

 One machine wraps both candy bars. It can wrap 50,000 chocolate bars per day.

 Your profit on each Mr. Yummy Bar is 14¢, and your profit on each Choc O Lot is 12¢.

1. a. Write inequalities to describe each objective and constraint. (7 pts)

Project 2 MTHH 039

 b. Graph the inequalities you wrote in part (a).
(3 pts)

c. Find the quantity of each chocolate bar you should manufacture to maximize your daily profit.
Calculate the profit you will earn. (3 pts)

Part B – Modeling Using Parabolas (possible 27 points)

Activity: The study of quadratic equations and their graphs plays an important role in many
applications. For example, businesses can model revenue and profit functions with quadratic
functions. Physicists can model the height, h, of rockets over time t with quadratic equations. In this
activity you will use the given information about the height of a football that is punted and expressed
as a quadratic equation.

The height of a punted football can be modeled with

the quadratic functions h = −0.01x2 + 1.18x + 2.
The horizontal distance in feet from the point of
impact with the kicker’s foot is x, and h is the height
of the football in feet. Must show work for full
credit.

1. a. Find the vertex of the graph of the function by completing the square. (3 pts)

Project 2 MTHH 039

 b. What is the maximum height of the punt? (3 pts)

c. The nearest defensive player is 5 ft horizontally from the point of impact. How high must the
player reach to block the punt? (3 pts)

d. Suppose the ball was not blocked but continued on its path. How far down field would the ball
travel before it hits the ground? (3 pts)

e. The linear equation h = 1.18x + 2 could model the path of the football shown in the graph. Why
is this not a good model? Hint think back to Lesson 9 Polynomial Function – comparing
models. (3 pts)

f. What is the height of the football when it has traveled 20 yd. downfield? (3 pts)

g. How far downfield has the ball traveled when it reaches its maximum height? (3 pts)

h. How far downfield has the ball traveled when it reaches a height of 6 ft? (3 pts)

i. Explain why part (h) has more than one answer. (3 pts)

Project 2 MTHH 039

Part C – Quadratic Inequalities (possible 25 points)
Activity 1: To find which of x2 – 12 or 3x + 6 is greater, enter the two functions as Y1 and Y2 in
your graphing calculator. Use the TABLE option to compare the two functions for various values of x.
For TblStart set to −10, Tbl set to 5, and make sure Indpnt and Depend the AUTO option is
highlighted.

1. For which value of x in the table is x2 – 12 > 3x + 6? (2 pts)

2. For which value of x in the table is x2 – 12 < 3x + 6? (2 pts)

3. Does this table tell you all values of x for which x2 – 12 < 3x + 6? Explain. (3 pts)

4. In TBLSET menu, change TblStart to −9, Tbl set to 3. Display the table again. Does the table
with this setup give more information? Why? (2 pts)

5. You can compare functions more efficiently by making one side of the inequality 0. Show that
x2 – 12 < 3x + 6 is equivalent to x2 – 3x – 18 < 0. (3 pts)

6. Enter x2 – 3x – 18 as Y3 in your graphing calculator. Place the cursor on the = sign after Y 1 and
press ENTER. This operation turns off the display for Y1. Do the same for Y2, and then display
the table. Look at the table, for which values of x is x2 – 3x – 18 < 0? (2 pts)

Project 2 MTHH 039

Activity 2: For a visual model, look at the same inequalities graphically. Turn off Y 3 and turn on Y1
and Y2. Begin by graphing the two functions in the original inequality. Make sure your Window is set
to Xmin = −10, Xmax = 10, Xscl = 1, Ymin = −20, Ymax = 30, Yscl = 5, and Xres = 1.

7. Which graph represents the function f(x) = x2 – 12? Which graph represents f(x) = 3x + 6? How
can you tell the two graphs apart? (3 pts)

8. Use your calculator to find the values of x for which x2 – 12 < 3x + 6 in this new viewing window
parameters. (2 pts)

9. Do you think there are values of x outside this window for which x2 – 12 < 3x + 6? Explain.
(2 pts)

10. Now turn off Y1 and Y2 and turn on Y3. Use your calculator and graph Y3 to find the values of
x for which x2 – 3x – 18 < 0 in this new viewing window parameters. Are these the same values
of x you found in Question 8? (2 pts)

11. Compare the strategy in Question 8 with the strategy in Question 10 for solving the inequality
x2 – 12 < 3x + 6 graphically. Is one easier than the other? Explain? (2 pts)

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Part D – Pascal’s Triangle (possible 15 points)

Activity: Imagine you are standing at the corner of the grid at point A1. You are only allowed to
travel down or to the right only. The only way to get to point A2 is by traveling down 1 unit. You
can get to point B1 by traveling to the right 1 unit. The number of ways you can get to points A2, B1,
and B2 are written next to these points.

1. The number 2 is written next to point B2. What are two different ways you can get from point A1 to
point B2? (2 pts)

2. In how many ways can you get from point A1 to point A3? (2 pts)

3. In how many ways can you get from point A1 to point C2? (2 pts)

4. In how many ways can you get to the fountain at point E6 from your starting at point A1? (2 pts)

5. Mark the number of ways you can get to each point from A1. (2 pts)

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6. Describe any patterns you see in the numbers on the grid. (2 pts)

7. The completed grid is called Pascal’s Triangle. Rotate your grid 45° clockwise so that point A1 is
at the top. Explain why the grid is called a triangle. (3 pts)

Part E – As the Ball Flies (possible 20 points)

Activity 1: How far can a soccer player kick a soccer ball down field? Through the application of a
linear function and a quadratic function and ignoring wind and air resistance one can describe the
path of a soccer ball. These functions depend on two elements that are within the control of the
player: velocity of the kick (vk) and angle of the kick (θ). A skilled high school soccer player can kick
a soccer ball at speeds up to 50 to 60 mi/h, while a veteran professional soccer player can kick the
soccer ball up to 80 mi/h.

Vectors Gravity

The vectors identified in the The constant g represents the

triangle describe the initial velocity acceleration of any object due to
of the soccer ball as the Earth’s gravitational pull. The value
combination of a vertical and of g near Earth’s surface is about
horizontal velocity. −32 ft/s2.

vx = vk cos θ & vy = vk sin θ

1. Use the information above to calculate the horizontal and vertical velocities of a ball kicked at a
35° angle with an initial velocity of 60 mi/h. Convert the velocities to ft/s. (2 pts)

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2. The equations x(t) = vx t and y(t) = vy t + 0.5 gt2 describe the x- and y- coordinate of a soccer ball
function of time. Use the second to calculate the time the ball will take to complete its parabolic
path. (4 pts)

3. Use the first equation given in Question 2 to calculate how far the ball will travel horizontally from
its original position. (2 pts)

Activity 2: How far can a soccer player kick a soccer ball down field? Through the application of a
linear function and a quadratic function and ignoring wind and air resistance one can describe the
path of a soccer ball. These functions depend on two elements that are within the control of the
player: velocity of the kick (vk) and angle of the kick (θ). A skilled high school soccer player can kick
a soccer ball at speeds up to 50 to 60 mi/h, while a veteran professional soccer player can kick the
soccer ball up to 80 mi/h.

1. Use the technique developed in Activity 1 to calculate horizontal distance of the kick for angle in
15° increments from 15° to 90°? Make a spreadsheet for your calculations. Use the initial velocity
of 60 mi/h. (8 pts)

2. Graph the horizontal distance of the kick as a function of the angle of the kick. Which angle gives
the greatest distance? (4 pts)

This project can be submitted electronically. Check the Project page in the UNHS online
course management system or your enrollment information with your print materials for
more detailed instructions.

Project 2 MTHH 039