Question

A diver dives from a 9-foot-high platform with an initial speed of 16 feet per second. The height, h, of the diver can be modeled by the equation ℎ = −162 − 16 + 9, where t represents time in seconds. How long will it be before the diver hits the water?

Answer 1

Answer: The diver will hit the water after 0.4 seconds.

This is an example of a quadratic equation. It is in the shape of an upside down parabola.

Our goal is to solve the following equation:  0 = -16x^2 - 16x + 9

To do this, we can use the quadratic formula. The variables are:
a = -16
b = -16
c = 9

It will be: 16 +/- The square root of (-16)^2 - 4(-16)9 all divided by 2(-16).

This will give a positive answer of 0.4 seconds.