Test: College Algebra

Quadratic equations appear often in physics. The basic kinematic equations for the position  of a particle as a function of time , with an initial velocity  (a constant) and constant acceleration  can be written as, 

 

 

This is a quadratic function in . The function therefore gives the position as a quadratic function of time . If we are dealing with a free-falling object under Earth's gravitational field, we might write this function in the form, 

to express the "height"  of the object at a given time  falling with a constant acceleration . Here  the initial height (a constant). The units for acceleration are meters-per-square second . The negative acceleration is a convention to signify that the direction of the acceleration is downward. 

 

 

1.

Find the time required for a ball dropped from a height of 100 m from rest to reach the ground using the quadratic function for height written below,  

 

(Hint, what is the value of the height  when the ball strikes the ground?).

 

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