document.write( "Question 374241: A cannon fires a cannonball as shown in the figure. The path of the cannonball is a parabola with vertex at the highest point of the path. If the cannonball lands d = 600 ft from the cannon and the highest point it reaches is h = 1200 ft above the ground, find an equation for the path of the cannonball. Place the origin at the location of the cannon.
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Algebra.Com's Answer #266382 by ankor@dixie-net.com(22740)![]() ![]() You can put this solution on YOUR website! A cannon fires a cannonball as shown in the figure. \n" ); document.write( "The path of the cannonball is a parabola with vertex at the highest point of the path. \n" ); document.write( " If the cannonball lands d = 600 ft from the cannon and the highest point it \n" ); document.write( " reaches is h = 1200 ft above the ground, find an equation for the path of the cannonball. \n" ); document.write( "Place the origin at the location of the cannon. \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "Since the cannon ball starts at x=0 and lands x=600, the axis of symmetry = 300 \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "Using the form ax^2 + bx + c = y, (c=0 in this problem) \n" ); document.write( "x=300; y=1200 \n" ); document.write( "(300^2)a + 300b = 1200 \n" ); document.write( "90000a + 300b = 1200 \n" ); document.write( "Simplify, divide by 300, results \n" ); document.write( "300a + b = 4 \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "x=600; y= 0 \n" ); document.write( "36000a + 600b = 0 \n" ); document.write( "Simplify, divide by 600 \n" ); document.write( "600a + b = 0 \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "Use elimination here \n" ); document.write( "600a + b = 0 \n" ); document.write( "300a + b = 4 \n" ); document.write( "---------------subtraction eliminates b, find a \n" ); document.write( "300a = -4 \n" ); document.write( "a = \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "Find b using 300a + b = 4 \n" ); document.write( "300(-1/75) = b \n" ); document.write( "-4 + b = 4 \n" ); document.write( "b = +8 \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "The equation: h(x) = \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "Graphically: \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "You can see the vertex, x=300, y=1200 \n" ); document.write( " |