Algebra II: Modeling with a Quadratic Function

Objectives

• Students will model a basketball’s flight through the air using a quadratic function.
• Students will analyze their quadratic function and interpret the parameters of the function in relation to the flight path of the basketball.
• Students will reason abstractly and quantitatively, model with mathematics, and attend to precision.

Vocabulary

• Parent quadratic function
• Maximum value of a quadratic function
• Zero of a quadratic function

About the Lesson

In this lesson, students use a quadratic function to model the flight path of a basketball. Students will interpret the parameters of the quadratic model to answer questions related to the path of the basketball.
As a result, students will:

• Model data with quadratic functions
• Interpret the vertex of a quadratic function in a real-world context
• Determine a zero of a quadratic equation.
• Use a mathematical model to make predictions.