Question3LEM 9: THE HAWK PROBLEM A hawk is on top of a tree and spots a fish in the water. The hawks's pathway in metres is measured by time in seconds by the equation: a) When does the hawk enter the water? b) Explain why this is a problem? c) Sketch a graph
Studdy Solution
STEP 1
1. The equation describes the hawk's pathway.
2. The hawk enters the water when .
3. We need to find the time when .
4. The problem may involve the nature of the solution or the context of the scenario.
5. A sketch of the graph will help visualize the pathway.
STEP 2
1. Solve for when the hawk enters the water.
2. Analyze the problem for potential issues.
3. Sketch the graph of the pathway.
STEP 3
To find when the hawk enters the water, set the equation equal to zero and solve for .
STEP 4
Use the quadratic formula to solve for :
where , , and .
STEP 5
Calculate the discriminant :
Since the discriminant is negative, there are no real solutions.
STEP 6
Explain why this is a problem: The negative discriminant indicates that the hawk's pathway does not intersect the water level (y=0), meaning the hawk never enters the water.
STEP 7
To sketch the graph, note that the equation is a parabola opening upwards with vertex at .
STEP 8
Calculate the vertex -value:
The vertex is at .
STEP 9
The parabola does not intersect the x-axis, confirming it does not reach . Sketch the graph with the vertex at and opening upwards.
The hawk never enters the water as the pathway does not reach . The graph is a parabola with vertex at .
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