A golfer hits a golf ball toward the hole 55 yards away. The ball follows a parabolic path given by the function h(x)=−125x(x−45), where h(x) is the height of the golf ball and x is the horizontal distance it has traveled. Solve the equation to determine how far the ball will have traveled when it hits the ground. How far will the ball need to roll to make it to the hole?

0=−125x(x−45)

(1 point)
Responses

The ball will hit the ground after it has traveled 25 yards. It will need to roll an additional 30 yards to reach the hole.
The ball will hit the ground after it has traveled 25 yards. It will need to roll an additional 30 yards to reach the hole.

The ball will hit the ground after it has traveled 30 yards. It will need to roll an additional 25 yards to reach the hole.
The ball will hit the ground after it has traveled 30 yards. It will need to roll an additional 25 yards to reach the hole.

The ball will hit the ground after it has traveled 45 yards. It will need to roll an additional 10 yards to reach the hole.
The ball will hit the ground after it has traveled 45 yards. It will need to roll an additional 10 yards to reach the hole.

The ball will hit the ground after it has traveled 10 yards. It will need to roll an additional 45 yards to reach the hole.

1 answer

To determine where the ball will hit the ground, we need to solve the equation \( h(x) = 0 \):

\[ 0 = -125x(x - 45) \]

Setting each factor equal to zero gives us:

  1. \( -125x = 0 \) → \( x = 0 \)
  2. \( x - 45 = 0 \) → \( x = 45 \)

The two solutions indicate that the ball will be at ground level (height \( h(x) = 0 \)) when it has traveled \( 0 \) yards (when it is initially hit) and \( 45 \) yards (when it hits the ground).

Since the hole is \( 55 \) yards away and the ball hits the ground at \( 45 \) yards, we calculate how far the ball will need to roll to reach the hole:

\[ \text{Distance to roll} = \text{Distance to hole} - \text{Distance traveled before hitting ground} = 55 \text{ yards} - 45 \text{ yards} = 10 \text{ yards} \]

Thus, the ball will hit the ground after it has traveled \( 45 \) yards and will need to roll an additional \( 10 \) yards to reach the hole.

The correct response is: The ball will hit the ground after it has traveled 45 yards. It will need to roll an additional 10 yards to reach the hole.