Panorama Cape Town Golf Course

Image by 4657743 via Pixabay (CC0)

It's time to play golf! Unfortunately for you, it's a windy day and the first hole of the course has a water hazard.

You place down your tee and analyze the surroundings, trying to determine whether you will hit your ball in the water. You place your tee on the line x=400x = 400 yards, and predict that hitting the ball with your driver will cause the ball's path to follow the parabola g(x)=132250(x−250)2−30.g(x) = \frac{13}{2250}(x - 250)^2 - 30.

The lake you are trying to avoid has equation

(x−250)2+(y+30)2=625.(x - 250)^2 + (y + 30)^2 = 625.

To avoid landing in it, you try to move your tee upward (along the line x=400x = 400). If the trajectory of the ball is such that it will always land when x=250,x = 250, what is the smallest distance you can move your tee upward to avoid the lake?

Choose one answer

Type a concept, like “slope” or “photosynthesis”.

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