Anna's brother Jack is playing in an football match. He kicks the ball from position O = (0, 0, 0) towards the goal. The bases of the goalposts are at (40, 10, 0) and (40, 16.4, 0). The ball follows a path described by the parametric equations (x(t), y(t), z(t)) = (10t, 3t, 8√5t − 4t2) (where t is in seconds), until it hits the ground, at which point we will assume for simplicity that it stops and does not bounce.
(a) At what time does the ball hit the ground?
(b) If the ball passes between the goalposts, what must its x-coordinate be at that moment?
What conditions must the time t and y-coordinate satisfy?
(c) In the absence of any opposing players who might have been able to stop the ball, did
Jack score a goal?
(d) Sketch a graph of the path the ball followed, as seen from above, i.e. in the x-y plane. Indicate the positions of the goalposts, and label the important features of the graph.
If someone could explain how to do this that would be fantastic!
