SOLUTION: Why is the vertex of a parabola important to us? Specifically, what kind of information does the vertex give us? In your explanation include a real-world example where a quadra
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Question 381887: Why is the vertex of a parabola important to us? Specifically, what kind of information does the vertex give us? In your explanation include a real-world example where a quadratic model is appropriate, identify the vertex, and explain what the vertex represents. (TEXTBOOK) Answer by richard1234(7193) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! Suppose you kick a football and it follows a trajectory. The height X will be modeled by a quadratic function because (well, I need calculus to explain why it's quadratic):
Hence, X is a quadratic function in terms of t. The vertex represents the time t where the maximum height is attained, and X(t) gives the maximum height (assuming air resistance is negligible).
