Question

Stephen is playing with a toy parachute. He drops the toy parachute from the rooftop of a building. The expression below represents the vertical height from the ground, in feet, of the toy parachute x seconds after being dropped from the rooftop.
-16x^2 + 16x + 80

Which statement best describes the term 80?

the initial height from where the toy parachute is dropped

the time it takes the toy parachute to land

the speed of the toy parachute

the maximum height of the toy parachute

Answer 1

Answer: The initial height from where the toy parachute is dropped .

Step-by-step explanation:

Given equation: $-16x^2+16x+80$, which represents the vertical height from the ground, in feet, of the toy parachute x seconds after being dropped from the rooftop.

When x=0, then that time will be the parachute is at its initial position.

Also, at x =0, then the initial height will be $-16(0)^2+16(0)+80=80$ feet

Therefore, the term 80 in the given expression describes the  initial height from where the toy parachute is dropped .

Answer 2

The equation for height as a function of time is:
height = (0.5)(acceleration)(time)^2 + (initial velocity)(time) + (initial height)
In this case, x will be the time, so 80 fits the initial height from which the parachute is dropped (the first choice).

The initial velocity of the parachute is 16, while acceleration is -32 (units of length are probably in ft).