4. A penny is dropped off the Empire State Building, which is 1,250 feet tall. If
   the penny’s pathway can be modeled by the equation ,
   how long would it take the penny to strike a 6 foot tall person?

To find out how long it would take for the penny to strike a 6-foot tall person, you need to set the height equation equal to 6 feet. That gives you:

Solving for , you rearrange the equation to get:

Divide both sides by -16:

Now, take the square root:

So, it would take approximately 8.81 seconds for the penny to strike a person who is 6 feet tall!

Now, let’s have some fun with a couple of ideas!

Ever wondered about the classic physics behind falling objects? The penny’s journey is a perfect example of free fall and gravity in action, illustrating how objects accelerate towards Earth due to gravitational pull—an eternal dance since the days of Galileo! He famously dropped two spheres of different weights to showcase that mass doesn’t affect the speed of descent. So, next time you drop something, channel your inner scientist!

And just to deepen your appreciation for heights, how about a little trivia? The Empire State Building was completed in 1931 and was the tallest building in the world for nearly 40 years! If you ever find yourself in New York, not only can you experience stunning views from the observation deck, but you can also ponder what fascinating events have taken place in and around this iconic structure over the decades!