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    Parabolas

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    nooluoit
    Parabolas are conic sections that can be represented by quadratic functions. The graph of any quadratic function is a parabola. Parabolas have the property that when stretched or compressed along or perpendicular to their axis, they retain their parabolic shape. The vertex and direction of opening (upward or downward) of a parabola can be determined from the quadratic function representing it. The x- and y-intercepts of a parabola are also important points that can be found by setting the quadratic function equal to 0 and solving.

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    Parabolas

    Uploaded by

    nooluoit
    534 views2 pages
    Parabolas are conic sections that can be represented by quadratic functions. The graph of any quadratic function is a parabola. Parabolas have the property that when stretched or compressed along or perpendicular to their axis, they retain their parabolic shape. The vertex and direction of opening (upward or downward) of a parabola can be determined from the quadratic function representing it. The x- and y-intercepts of a parabola are also important points that can be found by setting the quadratic function equal to 0 and solving.

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    Parabolas are conic sections that can be represented by quadratic functions. The graph of any quadratic function is a parabola. Parabolas have the property that when stretched or compressed along or perpendicular to their axis, they retain their parabolic shape. The vertex and direction of opening (upward or downward) of a parabola can be determined from the quadratic function representing it. The x- and y-intercepts of a parabola are also important points that can be found by setting the quadratic function equal to 0 and solving.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    534 views2 pages

    Parabolas

    Uploaded by

    nooluoit
    Parabolas are conic sections that can be represented by quadratic functions. The graph of any quadratic function is a parabola. Parabolas have the property that when stretched or compressed along or perpendicular to their axis, they retain their parabolic shape. The vertex and direction of opening (upward or downward) of a parabola can be determined from the quadratic function representing it. The x- and y-intercepts of a parabola are also important points that can be found by setting the quadratic function equal to 0 and solving.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    PARABOLAS

    Understanding Parabolas
    A parabola is a conic section. The following two plots are examples of parabolas:
    or
    Parabolas have the property that when transformed (stretched/compressed) along a direction
    parallel or perpendicular to its axis, the curve remains a parabola. (For example, a line also has
    this property, but a circle does not. If a line is stretched or compressed, it retains its shape; a
    circle does not.)
    Any function of the form
    2
    ) ( ) ( h x a x f = +k is in the square family because it is a transformation
    of
    2
    ) ( x x f = . The graph of any function in the square family is called a parabola. Therefore, the
    graph of any quadratic function is a parabola.
    Opening and Vertex of a Parabola
    There are two forms of the quadratic function, where one form is k h x a x f + =
    2
    ) ( ) ( and the
    other form is c bx ax x f + + =
    2
    ) ( . If 0 > a , the graph of k h x a x f + =
    2
    ) ( ) ( opens upward; if
    0 < a , the graph opens downward. This rule is illustrated by the above 2 plots.
    We can find the vertex of the parabola when the function is written in either form.
    - For a quadratic function in the form k h x a x f + =
    2
    ) ( ) ( , the vertex of the parabola is
    ) , ( k h .
    - For the form c bx ax x f + + =
    2
    ) ( , the x-coordinate of the vertex is
    a
    b
    2

    and the y-
    coordinate of the vertex is
    |
    .
    |

    \
    |
    a
    b
    f
    2
    .
    _______________________________________________________________________
    Example: Find the vertex for each parabola: 8 ) 4 ( 2 ) (
    2
    + = x x f and 9 4 2 ) (
    2
    = x x x f .
    Solution 1: For 8 ) 4 ( 2 ) (
    2
    + = x x f :
    The parabola follows k h x a x f + =
    2
    ) ( ) ( , so the vertex is ) 8 , 4 ( ) , ( = k h
    .

    Solution 2: For 9 4 2 ) (
    2
    = x x x f :
    The parabola follows c bx ax x f + + =
    2
    ) ( , so the x-coordinate of the vertex is
    1
    4
    4
    2
    = =

    a
    b
    and the y-coordinate is ( ) 11 9 ) 1 ( 4 ) 1 ( 2 1
    2
    2
    = = =
    |
    .
    |

    \
    |
    f
    a
    b
    f
    . So the
    vertex is ) 11 , 1 ( .
    _______________________________________________________________________
    Intercepts
    The x- and y-intercepts are important points on the graph of a parabola. The y-intercept(s) are
    easily found by letting 0 = x . The x-intercept(s) are found by letting 0 = y and solving the
    resulting equation.
    _______________________________________________________________________
    Example: Find the y-intercept(s) and the x-intercept(s) for the parabolas 8 ) 4 ( 2 ) (
    2
    + = x x f
    and 9 4 2 ) (
    2
    = x x x f .
    Solution 1: For 8 ) 4 ( 2 ) (
    2
    + = x x f :
    If 0 = x , then 40 8 ) 4 0 ( 2
    2
    = + = y . The y-intercept is ) 40 , 0 ( .
    There are no x-intercepts. Since 0 < a , the parabola opens downward and from our
    vertex example above, our vertex is ) 8 , 4 ( , which is below the x-axis. (If we set 0 = y
    and solve for x, we get
    2
    ) 4 ( 4 + = x , which has no real solution.)
    Solution 2: For 9 4 2 ) (
    2
    = x x x f :
    If 0 = x , then 9 9 ) 0 ( 4 ) 0 ( 2
    2
    = = y . The y-intercept is ) 9 , 0 ( .
    Since 0 > a , the parabola opens upward and from our vertex example above, our vertex
    is ) 11 , 1 ( , which is below the x-axis. Set 0 = y and solve for x: 9 4 2 0
    2
    = x x
    Using the quadratic equation,
    2
    22 2
    4
    88 4
    ) 2 ( 2
    ) 9 )( 2 ( 4 ) 4 ( 4
    2
    4
    2 2

    =

    =

    =
    a
    ac b b
    x

    Therefore, the x-intercepts are
    |
    |
    .
    |

    \
    |

    0 ,
    2
    22 2
    and
    |
    |
    .
    |

    \
    |
    +
    0 ,
    2
    22 2
    .
    _______________________________________________________________________

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