Question

A soccer player kicking a ball off the top of a building can be modeled by:

Answer 1

The motion of a soccer ball being kicked off the top of a building can be modeled by a quadratic function.

What is the model to use for the function

When an object is propelled upwards, the effect of gravity causes it to slow down until it reaches its highest point and then begins to descend. This type of motion follows a quadratic path due to the acceleration and deceleration caused by gravity, which can be described by a quadratic equation in physics.

The equation describing the vertical motion of the ball would involve terms including time, initial velocity, gravitational acceleration, and initial position, which aligns with the form of a quadratic function.

Answer 2

Given:

A soccer player kicking a ball off the top of a building.

A linear function is shown below:

An exponential function is shown below;

A quadratic function is shown below;

From the above graphs of each function, the one that best describes the soccer player kicking a ball off the top of a building is an exponential function.