The problem provides the function $y = -16t^2 + 529$, where $y$ represents the height of the phone in feet and $t$ represents the time in seconds after it is dropped.

To find when the phone hits the ground, we set $y = 0$ because the phone's height will be 0 feet when it reaches the ground. This gives us the equation:

$0 = -16t^2 + 529$

Step 1: Solve for $t$

Move $529$ to the other side:

$16t^2 = 529$

Step 2: Divide both sides by 16:

$t^2 = \frac{529}{16}$

$t^2 = 33.0625$

Step 3: Take the square root of both sides:

$t = \sqrt{33.0625}$

$t \approx 5.75 \, \text{seconds}$

Thus, the phone hits the ground after approximately 5.75 seconds.

Would you like further details or have any questions about this process?

Here are five related questions:

1. How would the answer change if the initial height were different?
2. Can we solve this problem graphically by plotting the function?
3. What does the coefficient -16 represent in the equation?
4. How can we determine the maximum height of the phone?
5. What happens to the equation if there is an initial upward velocity?

Tip: When solving quadratic equations like this one, always check if it can be factored easily before using the quadratic formula or square roots.