To determine how far above or below street level Luca’s initial launching point is, we can look at the function provided:
\[ y = -16t^2 + 40t - 5 \]
In this equation:
- \( y \) represents the height of the object above or below street level,
- \( t \) represents time in seconds,
- The term \( -5 \) indicates the initial height from which the object is launched at \( t = 0 \).
Now, to find the height at the time of launch (when \( t = 0 \)), we can substitute \( t = 0 \) into the equation:
\[ y(0) = -16(0)^2 + 40(0) - 5 \] \[ y(0) = -5 \]
This means that the initial height of Luca’s launching point is -5 feet, indicating that he is 5 feet below street level.
Therefore, the answer is:
5 feet below.