Final answer:
The maximum height reached by the baseball cannot be determined by any individual term in the equation h = -2r² - 12t + 1.5a. It is found by evaluating the equation at the vertex of the parabola represented by the height function. Choice d (Maximum height) is the best representation of the maximum height.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the maximum height reached by the baseball, we need to identify the component of the equation that represents the highest point in the ball's trajectory. In the given equation h = -2r² - 12t + 1.5a, h stands for height and is a function of the variables r and t, and a constant a. Since we're considering standard projectile motion, the maximum height is achieved when the velocity of the ball is 0. Looking at the equation, we see that it is a quadratic function with respect to time t, which implies that the height h forms a parabola. The term 1.5a doesn't depend on t, so it acts as a constant offset. The terms -2r² and -12t are the ones that vary with t, but only -12t has the variable t, suggesting it's the term that affects the temporal aspect of the height of the ball.
However, without specific values or further information about the parameters r, t, and a, we cannot calculate the exact maximum height. What we can ascertain is that the maximum height will not be represented by any of the individual terms but by the cumulative value of the equation at the vertex of the parabola. We can find the t value that gives us this vertex, and hence the maximum height, by completing the square or using the vertex formula for parabolic equations. Unfortunately, without more information or context, choice d (Maximum height) is the best representation of the maximum height reached by the ball.