Question

H(t)=-16(t+3)(t-8) (b) When does the rocket hit the ground?

Answer 1

To determine when the rocket hits the ground, solve the quadratic equation h(t) = -16(t+3)(t-8) for when h(t) equals zero; the rocket hits the ground at t=8 seconds.

Step-by-step explanation:

The given function h(t) = -16(t+3)(t-8) represents the height of a rocket over time. To find when the rocket hits the ground, we look for the time t when the height h(t) is zero. In this case, we have two factors in the quadratic equation: (t+3) and (t-8). Setting h(t) to 0 and solving for t gives us the roots t=-3 and t=8. Since time cannot be negative in this context, the rocket hits the ground at t=8 seconds.