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You are here: Experts > Science > Math for Kids > Word Problems > Quadratic Function Story Problem
Word Problems - Quadratic Function Story Problem
Expert: Scott A Wilson - 10/26/2009
Question
Big Bertha, a cannon used in World War I, could fire shells incredibly long distances. The path of a shell could be modeled by y=-0.0196x^ + 1.37x where x was the horizontal distance traveled (in miles) and y was the height (in miles). How far could Big Bertha fire a shell? What was the shell's maximum height?
Answer
To find out how far, solve for y = 0.
The equation factors into x(-0.0196x + 1.27).
The 1st solution is x=0, and that is from when it was fired.
The 2nd solution is found by solving -0.0196x + 1.27 = 0.
That makes x = 1.27/0.0196 = 64.79591837 = 64.796.
The maximum height would be when x was halfway between these two values.
Take (0 + 64.796)/2 and get 32.398.
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