Question

The path of the hawk makes a parabola represented by the following function: h(x) =x? - 12х + 32 where h is the height (in feet) of the hawk above the water and x is the horizontal distance (in feet) from the cliff.

Answer 1

The trajectory of a hawk can be represented by the function h(x) = x² - 12x + 32, which is the equation of a parabola.

Step-by-step explanation:

The trajectory of a hawk can be represented by the function h(x) = x² - 12x + 32, where h is the height (in feet) of the hawk above the water and x is the horizontal distance (in feet) from the cliff. This equation is in the form y = ax + bx², which is the equation of a parabola.

To obtain this expression, we can solve the equation x = Vₓxt and substitute it into the expression for y = Vₓyt - 0.5gt². Solving for y, we get y = ax + bx² where a and b are constants.

Therefore, the trajectory of a projectile is parabolic, having the form y = ax + bx².