A baseball is thrown into the air from a height of 5 feet. The ball reaches a maximum height of 43.5 feet and spends a total of 3.2 seconds in the air. Which equation models the height of the baseball? Assume that acceleration due to gravity is –16 ft/s2.

With gravity of −16 ft/s², the height model has the form h(t) = −16t² + v₀t + 5. The ball returns to the ground at 3.2 seconds, so 0 = −16(3.2)² + 3.2v₀ + 5, which gives v₀ ≈ 49.64 ft/s. Therefore, the model is h(t) = −16t² + 49.64t + 5, choice C.

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