A parabolic microphone used on the sidelines of a professional football game uses a reflective dish 24 inches wide and 5 inches deep. How far from the bottom of the disk should the microphone be placed?
a.) 6.8 in
b.) 7 in
c.) 7.2 in
d.) 7.4 in
If we put the parabolic microphone into the coordinate system with the vertex at the origin and facing to the right, the equation of the parabola would have the form: y² = 4ax where a is the distance between the vertex and the focus From the problem we are given with the coordinates: (5,12) and (5, -12) Substituting any of the coordinates to solve for a: 12² = 4a(5) a = 7.2 in