I need help please asap!

You know three points on the parabola: (0,0), (150,30), (-150,30) (I’m guessing about the 30. The picture is not clear enough on my phone.)

The parabola is vertical, so its equation has the form y = a(x-h)^2+k, where (h,k) is the vertex.

The vertex is (0,0), so y = ax^2.

Plug another point into the equation and solve for a:

30 = a150^2

a = 30/150^2 = 1/750

y = Height of cable at a point x feet from center.

y = (1/750)x^2

The answer is 42

Step-by-step explanation:

I might be doing this wrong, but if we multiply 40 by 30 to find the total area of the country (1,200 square miles), we can divide the total population (50,000) by each answer choice to find which answer is correct; 50,000/42 is equal to 1,190, the closest product to 1,200. I claim to have possibly done this wrong, but 42 was the correct answer I received on the quiz -- hope I helped!