Final answer:
The function y = -167 + 40t represents the height of a water droplet after t seconds. The water droplet will hit the ground after 4.2 seconds.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question from the student involves finding out after how many seconds the water droplet hits the ground based on the provided function y = -167 + 40t. To find this, we can set y to 0 (since the ground level is where y equals zero) and solve the resulting equation for t.
Setting y to 0, we get:
0 = -167 + 40t
Now, we can solve for t:
167 = 40t
t = 167/40
t = 4.175
After rounding t to the nearest tenth, the answer is 4.2 seconds. Thus, the water droplet hits the ground after 4.2 seconds.