A curve is plotted in the first quadrant of a coordinate plane. The x-axis for Time in seconds ranges from 0 to 1.25 in increments of 0.25 and the y-axis for Height in feet ranges from 0 to 18 in increments of 2.

The graph here represents the height of a ball when being dropped from a height of 16 feet. Which of the following points can be used to find the quadratic equation that models the graph?

(1 point)
Responses

(0,16)
, (0.5,12)
, and (1,0)
left parenthesis 0 comma 16 right parenthesis , left parenthesis 0.5 comma 12 right parenthesis , and left parenthesis 1 comma 0 right parenthesis

(0,16)
, (0.375,14)
, and (1,0)
left parenthesis 0 comma 16 right parenthesis , left parenthesis 0.375 comma 14 right parenthesis , and left parenthesis 1 comma 0 right parenthesis

(0,0)
and (1,0)
left parenthesis 0 comma 0 right parenthesis and left parenthesis 1 comma 0 right parenthesis

(16,0)
, (12,0.5)
, and (0,1)

1 answer

To model the height of a ball being dropped from a height of 16 feet, we need to focus on key points that represent the scenario.

  1. The ball starts at a height of 16 feet when time \( t = 0 \). So, the point \( (0, 16) \) is important.
  2. The ball eventually hits the ground, which means it reaches a height of 0 feet. This occurs at some point in time, and typically for a ball dropped from 16 feet, it would reach the ground at 1 second, so the point \( (1, 0) \) is also needed.
  3. The height of the ball decreases as time increases, and the intermediate value at \( t = 0.5 \) seconds would logically be lower than 16 feet, but needs to be checked against the curve.

Given these considerations, the best choice among the options to define points on the curve and derive a quadratic equation would be the first option:

(0,16), (0.5,12), and (1,0)

This option includes:

  • Starting height \((0, 16)\)
  • Height at an intermediate time \((0.5, 12)\)
  • When it reaches the ground \((1, 0)\)

Thus, these points help in finding a quadratic equation that effectively models the graph of the ball's height over time.

So the answer is: (0,16), (0.5,12), and (1,0).