HEIGHT OF A ZERO

GRAVITY PARABOLIC
FLIGHT PROJECT
RAQUEL WATTS, KATIE BRINKERHOFF, AND LEXI HESS

3 BY 3 SYSTEM OF EQUATIONS FOR A, B,

AND C.
THE EQUATION THAT WE USED FOR THIS PROBLEM
WAS THE QUADRATIC MODEL. F(T)= AT^2 + BT + C
WE CREATED THREE EQUATIONS WITH THE GIVEN
DATA.
WE PLUGGED THE (TIME) INTO THE EQUATION TO
EQUAL (HEIGHT)
F(2)= A(2)^2 + B(2) + C = 4A+ 2B + C = 23,645
F(20)= A(20)^2 + (20)B + C = 400A + 20B + C =
32,015
F(40)= A(40)^2 + 40B + C = 1600A = 40B + C =
33,715

SOLVE FOR VARIABLE A

WE DID THE SAME THING WITH EQUATIONS
IN ORDER TO SOLVE FOR A WE USED TWO F(20) AND F(40), DISTRIBUTING A NEGATIVE
TO F(40) SO THE CS WILL CANCEL OUT.
OF THE THREE EQUATIONS AND SOLVED
1600A + 40B + C = 33715
WITH ELIMINATION.
-400A 20B C = -32015
WE USED T(2) AND T(20) TO BEGIN WITH ----------------------------------1200A + 20B = 1700
4A + 2B + C = 23645

400A + 20B + C = 32015

THEN YOU TAKE THE TWO ANSWERS( IN
THEN WE DISTRIBUTED A NEGATIVE TO THE PURPLE) AND PUT THEM TOGETHER TO FIND
VARIABLE A.
TOP EQUATION TO GET THECS TO
396A + 18B = 8370
CANCEL.
-4A - 2B - C = -23645
400A + 20B + C = 32015
------------------------------------3969 + 18B = 8370

1200A + 20B = 1700

TO CANCEL THE BS, YOU DISTRIBUTE (-10)
TO THE TOP EQUATION AND (-9) TO THE
BOTTOM ONE.
-3,960A 180B = -83700
10800A + 180B = 15300
---------------------------------6840A = -68400
DIVIDE (6840) TO GET A ALONE.
A = -10

SOLVE FOR VARIABLE

B
TO FIND VARIABLE B WE USED THE FIRST EQUATION THAT WE GOT
WHEN WE WERE SOLVING FOR VARIABLE A, WHICH WAS (396A + 18B =
8370).
WE PLUGGED IN ANSWER (A = -10) TO OUR EQUATION GIVING US.
396(-10) + 18B = 8370
THEN WE SOLVED THE EQUATION BY GETTING VARIABLE B ALONE,
WHICH GIVES US THE ANSWER B = 685.

SOLVE FOR VARIABLE

C

TO FIND VARIABLE C, WE TOOK ONE OF THE ORIGINAL EQUATIONS (4A +

2B + C = 23,645).
WE PLUGGED IN THE ANSWERS WE GOT FOR VARIABLES A AND B WHICH
GAVE US
4(-10) + 2(685) + C = 23,645
THEN WE SOLVED FOR C AND WE GOT THE ANSWER C = 22,315.

USING THE SOLUTIONS TO THE SYSTEM

FROM PART 2 TO FORM THE QUADRATIC
MODEL OF THE DATA

USING THE EQUATION F(T) = AT^2 + BT + C, WE PLUGGED IN OUR

ANSWERS THAT WE GOT FROM VARIABLES A, B, AND C.
F(T) = -10T^2 + 685T + 22,315

MAXIMUM VALUE OF THE QUADRATIC

FUNCTION
WE FOUND THE MAXIMUM VALUE OF THE HEIGHT BY PLUGGING OUR
ANSWERS FROM A AND B INTO THE FORMULA (H = -B/2A).
H = -685 / 2(10)
GIVING US THE ANSWER T= 34.25.
THEN WE PLUGGED T INTO OUR EQUATION
F(34.2) = -10(34.25)^2 + 685(34.25) + 22,315
SOLVING THIS EQUATION GIVES US THE MAXIMUM VALUE OF F(T) =
34,045.635

GRAPH
FOR THE H WE STARTED OUR GRAPH ON 20,000 FEET AND ENDED AT 40,000 FEET.
FOR THE T WE STARTED ON 0 SECONDS AND WENT UP TO 60 SECONDS.
TO GRAPH THE EQUATION WE USED THE POINTS 2, 14, 24, 34, 48, AND 60 FOR T.
WHEN WE PLUGGED THESE NUMBERS INTO THE EQUATION TO FIND H AND GOT 23645,
29945, 32995, 34045, 32155, AND 27415.

APPLYING MATH TO THE REAL

WORLD
THIS PROJECT CHANGED THE WAY THAT WE SEE MATH IN THE REAL
WORLD. THIS WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR US BECAUSE IT HELPED US
GET AN IDEA OF HOW MUCH WE WILL BE USING MATH. THIS PROJECT
MADE US REALIZE THAT MATH APPLIES TO EVERYTHING AND WILL BE
VERY USEFUL IN THE FUTURE. IT WAS HELPFUL TO USE THE EQUATIONS
THAT WE HAVE LEARNED IN AN EVERYDAY SITUATION.