10. A person walking across a bridge accidentally drops an orange into the river below from a height of 40 feet. The function h = −16t^2 + 40 gives the orange’s approximate height h above the water, in feet, after 𝑡 seconds. In how many seconds will the orange hit the water?

Question

10. A person walking across a bridge accidentally drops an orange into the river below from a height of 40 feet. The function h = −16t^2 + 40 gives the orange’s approximate height h above the water, in feet, after 𝑡 seconds. In how many seconds will the orange hit the water? 
A. 1.6 seconds
B. 0.6 seconds
C. 2.3 seconds
D. 3 seconds

GPT 3.5 · Answer

To find out in how many seconds the orange will hit the water, we need to set the height h equal to 0 and solve for t:

0 = -16t^2 + 40

-16t^2 = -40
t^2 = 40/16
t^2 = 2.5
t = √2.5
t ≈ 1.58 seconds

Therefore, the orange will hit the water in approximately 1.6 seconds.

Therefore, the answer is A. 1.6 seconds.