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The arch support of a bridge can be modeled by y = -0.0012x², where x and y are measured in feet.

Find the height and width of the arch.

A. The height of the arch is 0.0012 feet and the width is 1 foot.
B. The height of the arch is 1 foot and the width is 0.0012 feet.
C. The height of the arch is 0.0012 feet and the width is 0.0012 feet.
D. The height of the arch is 1 foot and the width is 1 foot.

User Ryanmarc
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The height of the arch is 0 feet and the width is 0 feet.

Step-by-step explanation:

The equation provided, y = -0.0012x², represents the arch support of a bridge, where x and y are measured in feet. The coefficient of x², -0.0012, determines the shape of the arch. Since the coefficient is negative, the arch opens downwards.

The height of the arch is the maximum y-value, which occurs at the vertex. The x-coordinate of the vertex can be found using the formula x = -b/(2a), where a and b are the coefficients of x² and x, respectively. In this case, a = -0.0012, b = 0, so the vertex occurs at x = 0. The y-coordinate of the vertex can be found by substituting the x-coordinate into the equation. Therefore, the height of the arch is 0 feet.

The width of the arch can be determined by finding the x-values where y = 0. To do this, solve the equation -0.0012x² = 0. The solutions are x = 0 and x = 0. Therefore, the width of the arch is 0 feet.

User Guido Visser
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