F3 Bumohya, Jace

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Introduction:
In elementary algebra, a quadratic equation (from the Latin quadratus for
"square") is any equation having the form:

where x represents an unknown, and a, b, and c represent known numbers

such that a is not equal to 0. If a = 0, then the equation is linear, not
quadratic. The numbers a, b, and c are the coefficients of the equation, and
may be distinguished by calling them, respectively, the quadratic coefficient,
the linear coefficient and the constant or free term.[1]

Because the quadratic equation involves only one unknown, it is called

"univariate". The quadratic equation only contains powers of x that are non-
negative integers, and therefore it is a polynomial equation, and in particular
it is a second degree polynomial equation since the greatest power is two.

Quadratic equations can be solved by a process known in American English

as factoring and in other varieties of English as factorizing, by completing the
square, by using the quadratic formula, or by graphing. Solutions to
problems equivalent to the quadratic equation were known as early as 2000
BC.

Quadratic equations lend themselves to modeling situations that happen in

real life, such as the rise and fall of profits from selling goods, the decrease
and increase in the amount of time it takes to run a mile based on your age,
and so on.
The wonderful part of having something that can be modeled by a quadratic
is that you can easily solve the equation when set equal to zero and predict
the patterns in the function values.
The vertex and x-intercepts are especially useful. These intercepts tell you
where numbers change from positive to negative or negative to positive, so
you know, for instance, where the ground is located in a physics problem or
when youd start making a profit or losing money in a business venture.
The vertex tells you where you can find the absolute maximum or minimum
cost, profit, speed, height, time, or whatever youre modeling.

Body:
Here are some uses of quadratic formula in our daily lives:

Calculating Areas
Figuring Out a Profit
Quadratics in Athletics
Finding a Speed
Sample Problems:

1) Have you ever been on a river cruise? Suppose that you and I head out on
a river boat cruise together that takes 4 hours to go 20km upstream and
then turn around and go 20km back downstream.

When we get back, we notice the driver of the boat, who also happens to be
a mathematician, scribbling some notes down on a piece of paper. You ask
him what he's doing, and he tells you that the speedometer of the boat
wasn't working during the cruise, so he's trying to calculate the boat's speed.
He goes on to say that because the river has a current of 3 kilometers per
hour, he's found that he can model the situation with the equation shown.

He keeps scribbling away, and we watch him simplify the equation further.
He gets the equation 4x2 - 40x - 36 = 0, where x is the speed of the boat.
This is an example of a quadratic equation. A quadratic equation is an
equation that can be put in the form ax 2 + bx + c = 0, where the highest
exponent is 2.
Okay, great, we have an equation representing the problem, but how do we
solve it? Well, it just so happens that we have a really handy formula that we
can use to solve these types of equations, and it is called the quadratic
formula.
First, we notice that the equation 4x2 - 40x - 36 = 0 is already in the
form ax2 + bx + c = 0, so the driver of the boat already did that step for us.
The second step is to identify a, b, and c. In our equation, a = 4, b = -40,
and c= -36. Awesome! All we have to do is plug these values into the formula
and simplify!

We see that x = -0.83 or x = 10.83. Since we're talking about a speed, the
negative answer makes no sense, so the answer is x = 10.83. In other words,
the boat was traveling at a speed of 10.83 km/h. We solved the problem! I'll
let you tell the driver of the boat!
2) In 1972, you could buy a Mercury Comet for about $3,200. Cars can
depreciate in value pretty quickly, but a 1972 Comet in pristine condition
may be worth a lot of money to a collector today.
Let the value of one of these Comets be modeled by the quadratic
function v(t) = 18.75t2 450t + 3,200, where t is the number of years since
1972. When is the value of the function equal to 0 (what is an x-intercept),
what was the cars lowest value, and what was its value in 2010?
The cars value never dropped to 0, the lowest value was $500, and the car
was worth $13,175 in the year 2010. In this model, the y-intercept
represents the initial value. When t = 0, the function is v(0) = 3,200, which
corresponds to the purchase price.
Find the x-intercepts by solving 18.75t2 450t + 3,200 = 0. Using the
quadratic formula (you could try factoring, but its a bit of a challenge and,
as it turns out, the equation doesnt factor), you get 37,500 under the
radical in the formula. You cant get a real-number solution, so the graph has
no x-intercept. The value of the Comet doesnt ever get down to 0.
Find the lowest value by determining the vertex. Using the formula,

This coordinate tells you that 12 years from the beginning (1984 add 12 to
1972), the value of the Comet is at its lowest. Replace the ts in the formula
with 12, and you get v(12) = 18.75(12)2 450(12) + 3,200 = 500.
The Comet was worth $500 in 1984. To find the value of the car in 2010, you
let t = 38, because the year 2010 is 38 years after 1972. The value of the car
in 2010 is v(38) = 18.75(38)2 450(38) + 3,200 = $13,175.

3) Chip took 40 seconds the first time; his best time was 8 seconds.
Because the variable a represents the number of the attempt, find T(1) for
the time of the first attempt. T(1) = 40 seconds. The best (minimum) time is
at the vertex. Solving for the a value (which is the number of the attempt),

He had the best time on the ninth attempt, and T(9) =

8.
 The underpass is 50 feet high and 100 feet wide.
The highest point occurs at the vertex:

The x-coordinate of the vertex is 0, so the vertex is

also the y-intercept, at (0, 50). The two x-intercepts represent the endpoints
of the width of the overpass. Setting 50 0.02x2 equal to 0, you solve
for x and get x = 50, 50. These two points are 100 units apart the width
of the underpass.

Summary:

Application of Quadratic Formula

The quadratic formula is a formula that is used to solve quadratic equations.
To use the quadratic formula, we follow these steps;
1. Get the quadratic equation in the form ax2 + bx + c = 0.
2. Identify a, b, and c.
3. Plug a, b, and c into the formula and simplify.

Applications of Quadratic Functions

There are many real-world situations that deal with quadratics
and parabolas. Throwing a ball, shooting a cannon, diving from a platform
and hitting a golf ball are all examples of situations that can be modeled
by quadratic functions.
In many of these situations you will want to know the highest or lowest point
of the parabola, which is known as the vertex. For example, consider that
when you throw a football, the path it takes through the air is a parabola.
If you know the equation for the function that models the situation, you can
find the vertex. If the function is f(x)=ax2+bx+c, the x-coordinate of the
vertex will be b2a. The y-coordinate of the vertex can be found by
substituting the x-coordinate into the function. Then you can get how high
the football got.

Reflection:
While making this research, I realized that everything that we learn in math
is very important. Not just in solving but also in our daily lives. I realized that
in everything we learn, we should always keep them in our minds because
these can help us in our lives.

Resources:
http://www.dummies.com/education/math/algebra/applying-quadratics-to-real-life-
situations/
http://study.com/academy/lesson/using-quadratic-formulas-in-real-life-
situations.html
http://sciencing.com/everyday-examples-situations-apply-quadratic-equations-
10200.html
http://www.ck12.org/algebra/Using-Quadratic-Equations-to-Solve-
Problems/lesson/Applications-of-Quadratic-Functions-ALG-I-HNRS/
Application of Quadratic Function:
Earlier, you were told about a toy rocket fired into the air from the top of a
barn. Its height (h) above the ground in yards after t >seconds is given by
the function h(t)=5t2+10t+20.
1. What was the maximum height of the rocket?
2. How long was the rocket in the air before hitting the ground?
3. At what time(s) will the rocket be at a height of 22 yd?
1. The maximum height was reached by the rocket at one second as you
found in part b of problem 1 from above.
h(t)=5t2+10t+20h(t)=5(1)2+10(1)+20h(t)=25 yd
The maximum height reached by the rocket was 25 yd.
2. To find how long the rocket was in the air before hitting the ground,
note that when the rocket hits the ground, its height will be zero.
h(t)0=5t2+10t+20=5t2+10t+20
Use the quadratic formula to solve for t. You have a=5,b=10,c=20.
t=bb24ac2a
t=(10)(10)24(5)(20)2(5)
t=1010510t=15
t=1+5 or t=15
t=3.24 s or t=1.24 s
t=3.24 s Accept this solution
t=1.24 s Reject this solution. Time cannot be a negative quantity.
Thus, the toy rocket stayed in the air for approximately 3.24 seconds.
3. Now, to find the time that the rocket reached a height of 22 yd,
remember that the rocket reached a maximum height of 25 yd at a time
of 1 second. The rocket must reach a height of 22yd before and after one
second. Remember the old saying: What goes up must come down.
Use the quadratic formula to determine these times.
h(t)22=5t2+10t+20=5t2+10t+20
0=5t2+10t2
t=bb24ac2a
t=(10)(10)24(5)(2)2(5)
t=5+155 or t=5155
t=1.77 s or t=0.23 s
t=1.77 s Accept this solution
t=0.23 s Accept this solution.
The rocket reached a height of 22 yd at 0.23 seconds on its way up and
again at 1.77 seconds on its way down.