Paige​ ​Ney​ ​ ​

Math​ ​1010​ ​

7/29/2020​

Zero Gravity Project

1. Introduce the lab and which mathematical techniques were used.

For this math lab I had to calculate the curve of an aircraft that is used for space training to
mimic zero gravity, hence the name of this project. The flight path for this aircraft is shaped
like a parabola and when it reaches the vertex of its flight path the people in the plane
experience zero gravity for just a few seconds.

In the lab we used the equation of a parabola y = ax2 + bx + c and used it to model a
flight path using the variables height (h) and time (t) h(t) = a2 + bt + c . After being given
three points on the parabola (2, 23907), (20, 32043), (40, 33483) I was tasked to find the
variables for a, b and c using a system of equations. After translating the system of equations
into a matrix, I solved for these variables and plugged them into the equation to get
2
h(t) =− 10t + 672t + 22603 .

The next step was to calculate the vertex point. To do this I converted the original
2
equation to be in vertex form y = a(x − h) + k where(h,k) is the point of the vertex and
168 2 169463
found the equation h(t) = − 10(x − 5 ) + 5 . with the vertex being
(33.6 seconds, 33893 f eet) .

The final part of this project was to graph it. To do this I used the vertex and the
y-intercept that way I did not need to do any additional calculations. To get the resulting
graph:
2. Do you think this project shows how math can be applied to the real world?

Yes I do believe that this shows how math can be applied to the real world because math
really is in the world all around us. Our computers and phones operate through functions of
math, our homes are built by calculating angles, we fly in planes (much like the plane in this
problem) to travel the world that have all sorts of math! My dad is a computer software
engineer and actually developed airplane simulators for 20 years, this project gave me a small
glimpse into the type of math that he does every day. The math in this project was really
interesting and although word problems are not my favorite I did enjoy trying to solve a math
problem with an application in the real world. The results of problems like this and being able
to apply math are used to keep planes from crashing or to optimize the amount of time that a
person will be floating. We need math because it helps us understand the world better.

3. Can you think of or find an example of (Hint: see the exercises in your text) another
application where quadratic functions could be used to model a situation? Be specific.

Parabolic equations can be used to model businesses profitability. It can be used to calculate
the profit of a product, including the break-even point and the maximum profit point. Using
the vertex and parabolic equations as long as you have enough information about the product
costs.

4. If you were the on the flight crew in this lab, or if you were the pilot, would it be important to
be able to explain the results of the lab to potential passengers? What details would you need
to share with them? Be specific.

Yes! Most importantly the passengers want to know when they would be reaching zero
gravity and how long it would last. They would also likely want to know how long the flight
is going to take. It would give reassurance to the passengers that the pilot and flight crew
would know what they are doing as well.

5. Did this assignment change your opinion of the usefulness of math?

This project changed my mind on how even early math classes are helpful in understanding
the world. I was not exactly excited to be taking a lower level math course but I knew that I
needed to. Knowing that the information that I have learned in this class does have real world
applications and it isn’t just a check under the math requirements page has helped motivate
me to do well in the class and to better understand parts of the world around me. I just
thought that the only important math classes were the ones that were taken later on in math
like calculus because I thought that the only helpful math was very difficult. Math is a way to
understand and evaluate the world around us. It is heavily applied in Chemistry, Physics and
Business because it can be modeled to the real world.