A quarterback is standing at the top of the bleachers, trying to throw the football as high into the air as he can. He picks up the football so that it is 47 feet above the ground and throws the football as high as he can. The height of the football after t seconds can be modeled by the expression −16t^2 + 32t + 47. What does 47 represent in the context of the problem?

Answer 1

In the context of the problem, the value 47 represents the initial height from which the quarterback throws the football. This height is measured in feet, and it indicates that the football is thrown from a position 47 feet above the ground. Thus, when \( t = 0 \) (the moment the football is thrown), its height is 47 feet.