This introduction covers The Basketball Shot within Quadratic Sequences for GCSE Mathematics. Revise Quadratic Sequences in Algebra for GCSE Mathematics with 12 exam-style questions and 22 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 1 of 8 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
The Basketball Shot
Maya is practicing basketball shots and notices something interesting about the height of the ball at different time intervals. When she plots the height against time, she gets: 2m, 5m, 10m, 17m, 26m...
At first glance, this doesn't look like a simple pattern. But Maya discovers that this follows a quadratic sequence - a pattern where the differences between differences are constant!
Understanding quadratic sequences helps us model real-world phenomena like projectile motion, falling objects, and growth patterns that accelerate over time.
Practice questions for Quadratic Sequences
Which of the following is a property of a quadratic sequence?
A student says: 'The sequence 3, 7, 13, 21, 31 is quadratic because the first differences increase.' Explain whether the student is correct and how to check properly.