1. The formula s= 16t ^2 is used to approximate the distance S, in feet, that an object falls freely
from rest. How long would it take for an object to fall from the top?
Solution
Your question is missing the height from which the object falls. Let's let that equal H. So after
the object reaches the ground it will have traveled H feet which is the value for s. We can solve
for t.
H = 16t^2
H/16 = t^2 (Divide both sides by 16)
t= sqrt(H/16) = sqrt(H)/4 (Take the positive square root of both sides. We ignore the negative
root because t is not defined in this problem for negative values/)
So once you know H, you can answer the problem by taking the square root and dividing by 4.