Task 1: Save Homer!

A forest fire started 3 miles from the launch site Homer and his friends used. Since they cannot account for all of the rockets that they
launched, the accusation sticks and Homer is thrown out of school! Your job is to help Homer prove that his rocket did not cause the fire.
Graphing the height to time relationship for the rocket, let’s explain the flight path of the rocket and why they are innocent!

Getting familiar with the rocket’s flight path: Proving Homer is innocent: Let’s verify his calculations.
What is the approximate height of the rocket after 10 seconds? What is the coordinate point for the maximum (aka vertex) for this
parabola?

What is the approximate height of the rocket after 18 seconds? What is the maximum height the rocket reaches?

After 18 seconds, is the rocket going up or down? At what time does the rocket hit its maximum height?

What do you notice about this time? Where is it located along the
Do you think the rocket is traveling faster from 0 to 1 seconds or x-axis?
from 9 to 10 seconds? How do you know?

What is the total time the rocket is in the air?

The fire started 3 miles from the launch site. Is Homer innocent? How do you know?
Helpful information: The initial velocity of the rocket is 445.42 ft/sec. Because we assumed that Homer shot the rocket at a 45-degree angle,
the initial velocity can be found by calculating 𝑉 = √−𝑔 ∗ 𝑑 where g = gravity = -32 ft/sec and d = distance. You may need to convert back
into miles to compare! 1 mile = 5280 ft
Task 2: Fireworks
We are planning to launch fireworks for the 4th of July! The
fireworks will be launched from a hill that is 80 feet above a lake.
We hope that the fireworks will fall into the lake after exploding at
its maximum height so we don’t burn any audience members. The
fireworks’ height above the surface of the lake is given by the
function 𝑓(𝑡) = −16𝑡 2 + 64𝑡 + 80.
At what height will the fireworks explode (where is the maximum
height)?
What is the height of the fireworks after 1.5 seconds?
How many seconds after it is launched will the fireworks explode?
Where is this time located on the x-axis? What do you notice about
this?
When will the fireworks hit the lake?
What is the y-intercept of the parabola in context?
What do the x-intercepts mean in context? Do all of these x-
intercepts make sense in context?
Task 3: Football
Trevor Siemian plays for the Denver Broncos and was rated as the
worst Quarterback by ESPN. To help him get better, we are
mapping his passes. The equation for his pass with respect to time
is 𝑓(𝑡) = −4.905𝑡 2 + 15𝑡 + 1.905. (-4.905 comes from gravity =
-9.81 meters per second squared divided by 2). Sketch the graph of
this equation.
How long is the football in the air?
At what time does the football reach its maximum height?
Where is this time above in relation to the axis of symmetry?
Another team’s player can jump to a fully extended height of 2.667
meters. At what time would this player intercept the play?
The wide receiver for the Denver Broncos is 1.905 meters tall as
well. At what time would he catch the football?
At what time would the ball land if no-one caught the ball?
What do the x-intercepts mean in context? Do all of these x-
intercepts make sense in context?
What is the y-intercept of the parabola in context?