Parabolas

A geometrical
shape consisting
of a single bend
and two
lines going off to
an infinite
distance.
Concave up or Down?
Concave up or down?
What would be the initial
coefficient, positive or negative?
Concave up or down?
What would be the initial
coefficient, positive or negative?
The initial velocity is the
coefficient for the middle
term, and the initial height is
the constant term. The
coefficient is negative, since
gravity pulls downward, and
the value will either be 4.9 (if
your units are meters) or
16 (if your units are feet).
An object that is propelled
away from the Earth and then
drawn back by gravity, such as
a fly ball in baseball, follows a
path shaped like a parabola.
s(t) = gt
2
+ v
0
t + h
0

An object in launched directly
upward at 64 feet per second
(ft/s) from a platform 80 feet
high. What will be the object's
maximum height? When will it
attain this height?

It takes two seconds to reach
the maximum height of 144 feet.
An object is launched from
ground level directly upward
at 39.2 m/s. For how long is the
object at or above a height
of 34.3 meters?

The object is at or
above 34.3 meters for six
seconds.