SOLUTION: The equation of the path of a cricket ball thrown is y = x - (x^2/50), where x m and y m are the horizontal and vertical heights, travelled respectively. Calculate the greatest ver

1.  You are given a quadratic function

       y = - + 

    and they want you find its maximum.



        For the general form quadratic function  y =   with the negative leading coefficient  "a"  
        the maximum is achieved at  x = -.


    In your case  a = ,  b = 1,  so the maximum is achieved at  

       x = - =  = 25 units.


    To get the maximum value of the quadratic function, simply substitute x= 25 into the function

       y =  -  = 12.5 units.



2.  To find the horizontal distance traveled, simply find the distance between the roots (the zeroes) of the quadratic function:


        y = 0 =  -  = .


    The zeroes are  x= 0  (where the cricket ball started his path)  and  x= 50 (where it is ended by hitting the ground).

    The horizontal distance is 50 units.