Question

The main cable of a suspension bridge forms a parabola modeled by the equation y = a(x – h)2 + k where y is the height in feet of the cable above the road, x is the horizontal distance in feet from the right bridge support, a is a constant, and (h, k) is the parabola’s vertex. What is the maximum and minimum height of the bridge modeled by the equation y = 0.005(x – 60)2 + 8?

Answer 1

The minimum height occurs at the vertex of the parabola, which is at
`(60,8)`, so this height would be
`8`.

The maximum height occurs at the bridge supports. Since
`x` represents the distance *from* the supports, this height occurs when
`x=0`, which gives
`y=0.005(0-60)^2+8=26`.

Answer 2

D. maximum height = 26 feet and minimum height = 8 feet

Explanation:

correct :))