Question

the height of a rocket a given number of seconds after it is released is modeled by ( h(t)=-16 t^{2}+32 t + 10 ). what does t represent?

• the number of seconds after the rocket is released
• the initial height of the rocket
• the initial velocity of the rocket
• the height of the rocket after t seconds

Explanation:

In the function \( h(t)=-16t^{2}+32t + 10 \), the notation \( h(t) \) means that the value of \( h \) (height) depends on the value of \( t \). The problem statement clearly says "the height of a rocket a given number of seconds after it is released is modeled by...", so \( t \) represents the independent variable which is the number of seconds after the rocket is released.

Answer:

the number of seconds after the rocket is released