A baseball player hits a ball toward the outfield. The height h of the ball in feet is modeled by h(t) = -16t2 + 22t + 3, where t is the time in seconds. If no one catches the ball, how long will it stay in the air? (Round to the nearest tenth of a second and enter only the number.)
HINTS:
• When the ball hits the ground, its height is zero, so you are looking for one of the zeros of the quadratic equation.
• Though you could use several different methods, the easiest way to solve this particular equation is the quadratic formula (provided here). Take the a, b, and c values from the function in the question above.
• When you solve the quadratic for the zeros, you will have two answers. One of the answers will not make sense for a baseball hit into the outfield. The one that does make sense will be the correct answer.
Solving this equation for the roots, we find that the roots are -1/8 and 3/2. Assuming that at t=0 is when the player hits the ball, t=0 and t=3/2 is the amount of time in the air. Therefore, the ball spent 3/2 seconds in the air, or 1.5 seconds.