Answer: To find the points where the two skaters might collide, we need to solve the system of equations:
y = -2x + 14 (Equation 1)
y = -2x^2 + 14x (Equation 2)
We can substitute Equation 1 into Equation 2 to eliminate y and get:
-2x + 14 = -2x^2 + 14x
Simplifying, we get:
2x^2 - 16x + 14 = 0
Dividing both sides by 2, we get:
x^2 - 8x + 7 = 0
This quadratic equation factors as:
(x - 1)(x - 7) = 0
So the possible values of x where the skaters might collide are x = 1 and x = 7.
To find the corresponding y-values, we can plug each value of x into either Equation 1 or Equation 2. For x = 1:
y = -2(1) + 14 = 12 (using Equation 1)
y = -2(1)^2 + 14(1) = 12 (using Equation 2)
So the skaters might collide at the point (1, 12).
For x = 7:
y = -2(7) + 14 = 0 (using Equation 1)
y = -2(7)^2 + 14(7) = 0 (using Equation 2)
So the skaters might collide at the point (7, 0).
Therefore, the two skaters might collide at points (1, 12) and (7, 0).
Explanation: