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Answer:
- maximum height: 26.5 ft
- air time: 2.5 seconds
Explanation:
I find the easiest way to answer these questions is to use a graphing calculator. It can show you the extreme values and the intercepts. The graph below shows the maximum height is 26.5 ft. The time in air is about 2.5 seconds.
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If you prefer to solve this algebraically, you can use the equation of the axis of symmetry to find the time of the maximum height:
t = -b/(2a) = -(40)/(2×-16) = 5/4
Then the maximum height is ...
h(5/4) = -16(5/4)² +40(5/4) +1.5 = -25 +50 +1.5 = 26.5 . . . feet
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Now that we know the vertex of the function, we can write it in vertex form:
h(t) = -16(t -5/4)² +26.5
Solving for the value of t that makes this zero, we get ...
0 = -16(t -5/4)² +26.5
16(t -5/4)² = 26.5
(t -5/4)² = 26.5/16 = 1.65625
Then ...
t = 1.25 +√1.65625 ≈ 2.536954
The cannon ball is in the air about 2.5 seconds.