A quadratic function can be used to describe the rate at which an object will fall and predict when it will land or how high it may go. using the equation y=-16x^2+10, I can predict when an object will return to the ground from being kicked, dropped, or thrown. What does the 10 in my equation represent?

Question

A quadratic function can be used to describe the rate at which an object will fall and predict when it will land or how high it may go. using the equation y=-16x^2+10, I can predict when an object will return to the ground from being kicked, dropped, or thrown. What does the 10 in my equation represent?
the force of gravity
the maximum height the object will reach
how high the object starts off the ground
the height of the object when it reaches the ground

GPT-4o mini · Answer

In the equation $ y = -16x^2 + 10 $, the $ 10 $ represents **how high the object starts off the ground**. In the context of a quadratic function modeling projectile motion, the $ y $-intercept indicates the initial height of the object when $ x = 0 $ (which usually represents time). Therefore, the object starts at a height of 10 units above the ground.