An owl swoops down from its perch in a tree at 30 feet to catch field mice. It follows the function h=6t^2 −24t+30 , where t is the time in seconds and h is the height in feet. Which of the following best interprets the vertex?(1 point) Responses (0,30) left parenthesis 0 comma 30 right parenthesis (6,2) left parenthesis 6 comma 2 right parenthesis (30,0) left parenthesis 30 comma 0 right parenthesis (2,6)

1 answer

To find the vertex of the quadratic function \( h = 6t^2 - 24t + 30 \), we can use the vertex formula for a quadratic equation in the standard form \( ax^2 + bx + c \), where the vertex \( t \) coordinate can be found using:

\[ t = -\frac{b}{2a} \]

In this case:

  • \( a = 6 \)
  • \( b = -24 \)
  • \( c = 30 \)

Substituting in the values:

\[ t = -\frac{-24}{2 \times 6} = \frac{24}{12} = 2 \]

Now we need to find the corresponding height \( h \) at \( t = 2 \):

\[ h = 6(2)^2 - 24(2) + 30 \] \[ h = 6(4) - 48 + 30 \] \[ h = 24 - 48 + 30 \] \[ h = 6 \]

Thus, the vertex of the function is \( (2, 6) \).

The best interpretation of the vertex, therefore, is \( (2, 6) \), which indicates that at \( t = 2 \) seconds, the height of the owl is \( 6 \) feet.

So the correct response is \((2, 6)\).