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Finding Maximum Height Using the Vertex of a Parabola

The formula for the height hh of an object shot upwards with initial velocity v0v_0 and initial height h0h_0 after tt seconds is h=16t2+v0t+h0h = -16t^2 + v_0t + h_0. This is a quadratic equation in the variable tt, so its graph is a parabola. Because the squared term's coefficient (16-16) is negative, the parabola opens downward, meaning it has a maximum value. By solving for the coordinates of the vertex, one can find how long it will take the object to reach its maximum height (the tt-coordinate) and the maximum height itself (the hh-coordinate).

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Updated 2026-04-21

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