Question

A player shoots a basketball from a height of 6 feet. The equation, h = -16t^2 + 25t + 6, gives the height, h, of the basketball after t seconds. Describe the height, rounded to the nearest tenth of a foot, of the basketball after 1.5 seconds, assuming no other player touches the ball. a0 feet above the ground

Answer 1

1.5 is a measurement of time, the t in our equation.  The "h=" is "height equals".  We can find out what h equals at a t value of 1.5 by subbing in 1.5 for t in the equation.  That h value reflects the height of the ball thrown by a player 6 feet tall at an initial velocity of 25 ft/sec after 1.5 seconds. $h(1.5)=-16(1.5)^2+25(1.5)+6$.  Doing that math gives us a height of 7.5 feet.