Football and Braking Distance: Model Data with Quadratic Functions
Students are given data to describe the trajectory of a football tossed from the tallest bleachers of a stadium. The data is fit with a quadratic function using least squares criteria. Given data extracted from page 288 of Glencoe’s Algebra II book, students investigate braking distance versus speed of a car. Using quadratic least squares, the student finds a best-fit function for the data. Data is given on reaction distance versus speed of the car. When reaction distance is added to braking distance to find total stopping distance, students fit another quadratic function. A Follow Up Problem relates number of sides of a polygon with the number of vertices to create a quadratic function.
Technology: PowerPoint animation to illustrate problem setting, Graphing calculator.
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