Question

The height y (in feet) of a ball thrown by a child is

y=−114x^2+2x+5
where x is the horizontal distance in feet from the point at which the ball is thrown.
How high is the ball when it leaves the child's hand?

Answer 1

Answer: 5 feet

Explanation:

Given equation:

y = −114x² + 2x + 5

We can see from the constant value, + 5, that the equation starts at + 5, representing the height of the ball before it was thrown. This is also the height right as it leaves the child's hand, meaning it's at a height of 5 feet.

To see this mathematically, we will input 0 for all x-values representing the ball not being thrown yet:

y = −114x² + 2x + 5

y = −114(0)² + 2(0) + 5

y = 5