Question

Ricky recorded himself throwing a football to analyze the position as it moved through the air. He came up with the function


to represent the height of football in yards when it was
yards away from him.

What does the constant term, 2, represent in this scenario?

Responses
A The ball reached a maximum height of 2 yards.The ball reached a maximum height of 2 yards.
B The ball was 2 yards high when he released the throw.The ball was 2 yards high when he released the throw.
C It took 2 seconds for the ball to reach the ground.It took 2 seconds for the ball to reach the ground.
D The ball landed 2 yards away from him.The ball landed 2 yards away from him.

Answer 1

B — The constant term is the height when x = 0, so the ball was 2 yards high at release. It is not the max height (that would be the vertex) or a time or landing distance.