Solving Quadratic Word Problems

Heather dropped a water balloon over the side of her school building from a height of 80 feet. The approximate height of the balloon at any point during its fall can be represented by the following quadratic equation: h = -16t² + 80 About how long did it take for the balloon to hit the ground?

• 1.73 seconds

• 2.24 seconds

• 2.45 seconds

• 2.83 seconds

A kid launches a rock off of a cliff. The height of the rock after t seconds can be modeled by the graph shown. When does the rock hit the ground?

• 1.094 seconds

• 174.141 seconds

• 155 seconds

• 4.393 seconds

• None of the above

You jump off a 24 foot high cliff and your fall is modeled by the function:

h(t) = -16t² + 8t + 24

When would you reach 16 feet above the water?

• 8 seconds

• 1 second

• 1/2 second

• 1/4 second

A diver is standing on a platform above the pool. He jumps form the platform with an initial upward velocity of 8 ft/s. Use the formula: h(t) = −16 t² + 8t + 24

How high is the platform?

• .25 ft

• 24 ft

• 25 ft

• 8 ft

Your nephew is standing on his deck and tosses his toy up into the air. The equation h= -2t^2+5t+3 models the toy’s height h in feet from the ground at t seconds after he threw it. How high is the toy after 2 seconds?

• 1.25

• 3

• 4

• 5
  

• 6.13
  

Rafael drops a ball from a third-story window. This equation represents the approximate height, h, in meters, of the ball above the ground after it falls for t seconds. When is the ball at ground level?

• only at t = 0 seconds

• only at t = 3 seconds

• only at t = 9 seconds

• at both t = 0 seconds and t = 3 seconds

A frog is sitting on the ground when he is scared by a big dog. His movement is modeled by the equation h = -6t2 + 6t where h is the frog's height at any given time, t . How many seconds until the frog is back on the ground?

• 0.5 seconds

• 1 second

• 1.5 seconds

• 2 seconds

• 3 seconds

A diver is standing on a platform above the pool. He jumps form the platform with an initial upward velocity of 8 ft/s. Use the formula: h(t) = −16 t² + 8t + 24

How high is the platform?

• 0.25 ft

• 24 ft

• 25 ft

• 8 ft

Answer to part c is....