Answer:
8.75 m
Explanation:
Given ordered pairs: (0, 0) (1, 16) (2, 20) (3, 15.5) (4, 0)
From inspection, we can see that the difference in the x-values is constant (they increase by 1 each time), yet the difference in the y-values is not constant. Therefore, the relation is not linear.
As the y-values increase from 0 to 20 and then decrease back to 0, the curve is likely to be a parabola opening downwards.
The x-intercepts are at x = 0 and x = 4, so this suggests that the axis of symmetry is x = 2, and so the vertex is (2, 20).
Creating an equation using the x-intercepts:
where
is some constant
Creating an equation using the vertex form:
Equating constants to determine a:
Therefore, equation of best fit:
When x = 0.5:
Therefore, an estimate for the height of the rocket 0.5 s after it's launched is 8.75 m