Problem

Student Name : Student

Student Date: 04/09/2024
04/09/2024 7:33
7:33 PM
PM
Marcofragoso0
Marcofragoso0
Login Name : SMARCOFRAGOSO0
SMARCOFRAGOSO0 Class Name : PreCalculus
PreCalculus and
and
Problem
Problem Solving
Solving

Polynomial and Rational Functions

Graphing a parabola of the form y = x2 + bx + c

SAMPLE QUESTION

Graph the parabola.

2
y = x − 8x + 18
y
12

10

2
x

-12 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 2 4 6 8 10 12
-2

-4

-6

-8

-10

-12

EXPLANATION

The vertex of a parabola is the point at which the parabola "turns around".
Note that the vertex lies on the axis of symmetry of the parabola.

2 b
For a parabola with equation y = a x + b x + c, the axis of symmetry is the line x = − .
2a
2
Note that y = x − 8x + 18 has this form, with a = 1 and b = − 8. So the axis of symmetry is the following.

b −8
x= − =− =4
2a 2 1
Since the vertex lies on the line x = 4 , its x-coordinate is 4.
2
To find its y-coordinate, we plug x = 4 into y = x − 8x + 18.

2
y = 4 − 8 4 + 18 = 2

Thus, the vertex is the point 4, 2 .

To graph the parabola, we need to plot two points on each side of the vertex.
We choose two values of x on each side of x = 4 and find the corresponding values of y.

2
x y = x − 8x + 18 x, y

2 22 − 8 2 + 18 = 6 2, 6

3 32 − 8 3 + 18 = 3 3, 3

4 42 − 8 4 + 18 = 2 4, 2 ← vertex

5 52 − 8 5 + 18 = 3 5, 3

6 62 − 8 6 + 18 = 6 6, 6

So 2 , 6 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 2 , 5 , 3 , and 6 , 6 lie on the parabola.

To get our answer, we plot these points and connect them with the proper curve as shown below.

y
12

10

2
x

-12 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 2 4 6 8 10 12
-2

-4

-6

-8

-10

-12
 ANOTHER EXPLANATION

2
A parabola with equation y = a x − h + k has vertex h , k .
2
We'll rewrite y = x − 8x + 18 in this form. We start with the first two terms as shown below.

2
y = x − 8x + 18
2
y = x − 8x + 18

2
Now we need to complete the square of the parenthetical expression x − 8x.
2
2 −8
Since we have x − 8x, we add = 16 inside the parentheses.
2
So, in completing the square, we are adding 16 to the right side of the equation.
To balance this, we'll also have to add − 16 to the right side.

2
y = x − 8x + 16 + 18 − 16
Rewriting this expression, we get the following.

2
y= x−4 +2
2
Comparing this equation with y = a x−h + k, we see that h = 4 and k = 2.
So, this is the equation of a parabola with vertex 4 , 2 .

To graph the parabola, we need to plot two points on each side of the vertex.
We choose two values of x on each side of x = 4 and find the corresponding values of y.

x y= x−4 2 x, y
+2

2 2 2, 6
2−4 +2=6
2
3 3−4 +2=3 3, 3

4 2 4, 2 ←
4−4 +2=2 vertex

5 2 5, 3
5−4 +2=3
2
6 6−4 +2=6 6, 6

So 2 , 6 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 2 , 5 , 3 , and 6 , 6 lie on the parabola.

To get our answer, we plot these points and connect them with the proper curve as shown below.
 y
12

10

2
x

-12 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 2 4 6 8 10 12
-2

-4

-6

-8

-10

-12

ANSWER