ADMATHS ASSIGNMENT

1. Sketch the graphs of:

a) y = x2
b) y = x2+3
c) y = x2-2
What do you notice? How was the axis of symmetry affected? Generalize the
pattern that you notice from this step of the investigation.
Firstly, we start by drawing the graph of y=x2. Then we make the next graph, which is y=x2+3.
Then we make the next graph, which is y=x2-2. These 3 graphs have many differences and
similarities. These 3 graphs have the same shape where the graph is going upwards. This is
because the value of a (a in ax2+bx+c) in these 3 equations is positive. If this value would have
been negative, the graph wouldve been going downwards. The axis of symmetry of a parabola is
a vertical line that divides the parabola into two congruent halves.
The axis of symmetry always passes through the vertex of the parabola . The x-coordinate of the
vertex is the equation of the axis of symmetry of the parabola. For a quadratic function in
b
standard form, y=ax2+bx+c, the axis of symmetry is a vertical line x = . The axis of symmetry is
2a
the same in all these graphs. The axis of symmetry is x=0 in all these graphs. This is because
these equations have values such that the x value equals to 0. Suppose, if we want to find the
axis of symmetry of y=x2-2, we need to find the values of a and b, which are 1 and 0 respectively.
b
If we use the formula x = and substitute the a and b values, the answer will be equal to 0.
2a
This will be the same for the other 2 equations.
As you can see, the graph of y=x2+3 is the same graph but 3 units upwards the graph of y=x2. This
is because c(ax2+bx+c) is the y-intercept. The value of c in y=x2+3 is 3, which means that the
parabola will have a minimum of y=3. The turning points of these 3 parabolas are different. The
turning point of y=x2 is y=0 at x=0. I calculated the turning point by finding the derivative of the
y
equation. The derivative of y=x2 is x = 2x. After finding the derivative, we have to equate it to
0, which is x=0. A minimum point will be found by substituting x=0 into y=x2, which will give us
y
y=0 is minimum at x=0. For y=x2+3, x = 2x, which will give us x=0. Then we have to substitute
y
x=0 into y=x2+3, which will give us y=3 is a minimum at x=0. Same for y=x2-2, derivative:x = 2x,
x=0, substituting x=0 into y=x2-2, which gives us y=-2 is a minimum point at x=0. As you can see,
the graph of y=x2-2 is 2 units downwards y=x2.
2. Sketch the graphs of:
a) y=x2
b) y=(x-2)2
c) y=(x+3)2
What do you notice? How was the axis of symmetry affected? Generalize the
pattern that you notice from this step of the investigation
We start by making these 3 graphs. It can be easily observed that these 3 graphs have the same
shape but they are just shifted some units on the left and the right. This is because the 2
equations other than the y=x2 are whole squared [y=(x-2)2 and y=(x+3)2]. Its possible for us to
open these whole squared brackets and then interpret the graphs. For y=(x-2)2, it will be written
as y=x2-4x+4 and for y=(x+3)2, it will be written as y=x2+6x+9.
There are different values of a and b (in ax2+bx+c) which will give us different axes of symmetry.

For y=x2-4x+4, a=1 and b=-4. We use the formula = to find the axis of symmetry. We
2
substitute the values of a and b in this formula and find the axis of symmetry. The answer is +2.
This means that the axis of symmetry of y=x2-4x+4 is the line x=2. This line will divide the
parabola y=x2-4x+4 into 2 perfectly equal halves.

For y=x2+6x+9, a=1 and b=6. Again, we use the formula = to find the axis of symmetry of
2
this equation. We have to follow the same steps to find the axis of symmetry like we did for
y=x2-4x+4. So, we substitute a and b in the formula and the answer is -3. This means that the axis
of symmetry is found when we draw the line x=-3. This line will divide the parabola y=x2+6x+9
into 2 perfectly equal halves.
All 3 graphs have the same shape. They have just been shifted some units on the left or right.
The graph y=x2-4x+4 is shifted 2 units on the right from y=x2 and the graph y=x2+6x+9 is shifted 3
units on the left. These parabolas intersect the x axis only once. This is because of the turning
points of the parabolas. They can be found by finding the derivative of the equation and then
equating the derivative to 0. After equating it to 0, we will find an x value which we have to
substitute into the original parabola equation. thats how we find the turning point.
The turning point of y=x2 is:

= 2, 2x=0, x=0

Substituting x=0 into the equation gives y=0 which is minimum at x=0.
The turning point of y=x2-4x+4 is:

= 2 4, 2x=4, x=2

Substituting x=2 into the equation gives y=0 which is minimum at x=2.
The turning point of y=x2+6x+9 is:

= 2 + 6, 2x=-6, x=-3

Substituting x=-3 into the equation gives y=0 which is minimum at x=-3.
3. Where would you expect the vertex of the graph y=(x-4)2+5 to be? Explain your reasoning
clearly.
The equation for a parabola can also be written in "vertex form": y=a(xh)2+k. In this
equation, the vertex of the parabola is the point (h, k).

In the standard form, y=ax2+bx+c, the expression 2 gives the x -coordinate of the vertex.

But in this case, the equation is given in the vertex form so that it can be found directly. So,
this means that in the equation the x-coordinate is 4 and y-coordinate is 5. These are the
coordinates for the turning point of the parabola. The parabola is shown below:
 4. Explain how the equation y=(x-h)2+k can be used to determine the location and shape of
the equations graph.
The vertex form of a quadratic function is given by
y = (x - h)2 + k, where (h, k) is the vertex of the parabola.

When written in "vertex form":

(h, k) is the vertex of the parabola, and x = h is the axis of symmetry.

the h represents a horizontal shift (how far left, or right, the graph has shifted from x = 0).

the k represents a vertical shift (how far up, or down, the graph has shifted from y = 0).

notice that the h value is subtracted in this form, and that the k value is added.
If the equation is y = 2(x - 1)2 + 5, the value of h is 1, and k is 5.
If the equation is y = 3(x + 4)2 - 6, the value of h is -4, and k is -6.

This is for the location of the graph. The shape of the graph can be determined by looking at the
value of a in the vertex form of the quadratic equation. if it is greater than 0, then the graph will
face upwards and if it is less than 0, it will be facing downwards.
 5. Sketch the graphs of:
a) y=x2
1
b) = 2 2
c) y=2x2

What do you notice? How was the axis of symmetry affected? Discuss the shape of these graphs
in relation to the shape of y=x2. Generalize the pattern that you notice from this step of the
investigation.
These 3 graphs have the same axis of symmetry. The parabolas get narrower as the coefficient of
x2 gets bigger and the same get wider as the coefficient of x2 gets smaller. As you can see, the
1
graph of y=x2 is in the middle. The graph which is the widest is y = 2 x 2 . The graph which is the
narrowest is the y=2x2.
The axis of symmetry is not affected in any way in these 3 graphs. This is because the y-intercept
is 0 in all 3 graphs. The steps to find the axis of symmetry are already shown in question 1.
The coefficient of x2 in y= x2 is 1.
The coefficient of x2 in y=2x2 is 2.
1 1
The coefficient of x2 in y = 2 x 2 is 2.

These are the coefficients of x 2 and in ax2+bx+c. If the coefficient of x2 or a is greater than 0, the
parabola will open up/go upwards and have a minimum value whereas if the coefficient of x2 or a
is less than 0, the parabola will open down/go downwards and have a maximum value. And
these coefficients are all greater than 0 so they will have a minimum value and open up or go
upwards.

a>0 parabola opens up minimum value

a<0 parabola opens down maximum value

 6. Investigate what happens in step 5 when the coefficient of x2 is negative. What do you
notice? Generalize your findings for this step of the investigation.
If the coefficient of x2 is negative, the parabolas will reflect the positive parabolas and look
something like this:
a) y= -x2
1
b) = 2 2
c) y= -2x2

The coefficient of x2 in y= -x2 is -1.

The coefficient of x2 in y=-2x2 is -2.
1 1
The coefficient of x2 in y = 2 x 2 is 2.

This is because the value of the coefficients in these equations are smaller than 0. So, the
parabola will open down/move downwards and have a maximum value. The axis of symmetry
doesnt change and stays the same as in question 5. The shape of these graphs also remains the
same, its the same thing as reflecting the parabolas in question 5 in a mirror.
 7. Predict what the graph of y=2(x+3)2-2 would look like. Test your prediction using
technology. Repeat this with two other functions.
1. y=2(x+3)2-2
y=2(x+3)2-2 ------> y=a(x-h)2+k
a=2, a>0 which means that the graph will have a minimum value and it will open up/move
upwards.
h= -3 and k= -2 turning point coordinates
(h, k) ------> (-3, -2)
And to complete the parabola, we should make a table of values:
y=2(x+3)2-2

x 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6
y 16 6 0 -2 0 6 16

If we plot and join these values on a graph, we will make the graph of y=2(x+3)2-2. The
turning/minimum points are (-3, -2). As we can see from the table of values, y=0 when x=-2 or
x=-4 and x=0 only when y=16.
y=2(x+3)2-2
 2 other functions:
2. y= -4(x+4)2-1
a= -4, a<0 which means that the graph will have a maximum value and it will open down/move
downwards.
h= -4 and k= -1 turning point coordinates
(h, k) ------> (-4, -1)
And to complete the parabola, we should make a table of values:
y= -4(x+4)2-1

x -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 -7
y -37 -17 -5 -1 -5 -17 -37
2
If we plot and join these values on a graph, we will make the graph of y= -4(x+4) -1. The
turning/minimum points are (-4, -1).
y= -4(x+4)2-1
 3. y= 3(x-2)2-5
a= 3, a>0 which means that the graph will have a minimum value and it will open
up/move upwards.
h= 2 and k= -5 turning point coordinates
(h, k) ------> (2, -5)
And to complete the parabola, we should make a table of values:
y= 3(x-2)2-5

x -1 0 1 2 3 4 5
y 22 7 -2 -5 -2 7 22

y= 3(x-2)2-5
 8. Explain how the equation y=a(x-h)2+k can be used to determine the location and shape of
the equations graph.
The equation y=a(x-h)2+k can be used to determine the location and shape of the graph by
looking at the values:
a: if a>0, the shape of the graph will be .
if a<0, the shape of the graph will be .
-h: This is the x-coordinate for the turning point of the parabola
k: This is the y-coordinate for the turning point of the parabola.
 9. Do your findings from this investigation apply to the graphs of other functions?
Generalize your findings for all functions.
Yes, my findings from this investigation do apply to graphs of other functions.
b
As you can see in question 1, if we use the formula x = for the functions to find the axis of
2a
symmetry, the answer wouldve been equal to 0 for all the functions. There was a pattern too in
the graphs of question 1. They had been either shifted upwards or downwards. To be precise,
the graph y=x2 was the graph in the middle, the graph y=x2+3 was the same graph but it shifted 3
units upwards and y=x2-2 was the same graph y=x2 but shifted 2 units downwards.
In question 2, the same question is asked (how the axis of symmetry had been affected and what
the student noticed). The graphs were different in this question and the axis of symmetries are
different in all the functions. The graph y=x2 is again the middle graph, y=(x+3)2 is the same
graph but shifted 3 units on the left, y=(x-2)2 is the same graph as y=x2 but 2 units on the right.
b
To find the axis of symmetry, the same formula x = has to be used. If we use this formula, the
2a
answer for the function y=x2 will be 0, for y=(x-2)2 the answer will be 2 and for y=(x-3)2, the
answer will be -3.
In question 3, it is asked where the vertex of the graph y=(x-4)2+5 would be. This function is
written in the vertex form already so it will be easy for us to find the vertex coordinates.
y=a(xh)2+k - In this equation, the vertex of the parabola is the point (h, k). So, this means that
the coordinates for the vertex of the parabola are (4,5). The vertex can also be referred to as the
turning point of the parabola. This means that 4 is the x coordinate and k is the y coordinate.
In question 4, its asked how the equation y=(x-h)2+k can be used to determine the location and
shape of the graph. H is the horizontal shift from x=0 and K is the vertical shift from y=0 in the
equation y=(x-h)2+k. The shape can by looking at the value of a in y=a(x-h)2+k. If a>0, the graph
will face upwards and if a<0, the graph will face downwards.
In question 5, 3 graphs, y=x2, y=0.5x2 and y=2x2 are given. The axis of symmetry will be the same
for all these 3 graphs, which is 0. Only the shape of the graph is affected. The graph of y=2x2 will
be very narrow, the graph of y=0.5x2 will be very wide and the graph of y=x2 will be in between
of these 2 graphs.
In question 6, the coefficient of x2 in step 5 is made negative and then the graphs have to be
interpreted. If the coefficient of x2 is negative, the parabolas will reflect the positive parabolas.
This means that they will be the reflection of the graphs in step 5. This is because the value of
the coefficients in these equations are smaller than 0. So, the parabola will open down/move
downwards and have a maximum value.
In question 7, we have to predict what the graph of y=2(x+3)2 -2 would look like. First of all, I
looked at the value of a, which is greater than 0, which shows that the graph will open up. Then
we find the turning point coordinate, which is (-3, -2). After this, we can plot these values on the
graph and join them or for a better graph, we could make a table of values and then plot and join
these values on the graph. This will make a better and a precise graph.
In question 8, we have been asked how y=a(x-h)2+k can be used to determine the location and
shape of the graph. We look at the values of a, h and k. if a>0, the graph will open up and if a<0,
the graph will open down. H is the horizontal shift from x=0 and K is the vertical shift from y=0.
 10. How could these findings about quadratic functions be applied in real life? Explain in
detail with any one example of application of quadratics in real life contexts.

My example of application of quadratic functions will be throwing a ball in the air. The quadratic
equation will tell you the position of the object at all times. When you throw a ball straight up in
the air, it will go up until a certain amount of time, then stop at a point for a second and then
come down until it hits the ground. Suppose, the ball is thrown 3m above the ground, with a
velocity of 14m/s. To find the time it will take to hit the ground, we will have to form a quadratic
equation.

The height starts at 3 m: 3

It travels upwards at 14 meters per second (14 m/s): 14t

Gravity pulls it down, changing its position by about 5 m per second squared: 5t2

Add them up and the height h at any time t is: h = 3 + 14t 5t2

And the ball will hit the ground when the height is zero: 3 + 14t 5t2 = 0

Which is a Quadratic Equation ! In "Standard Form" it looks like: 5t2 + 14t + 3 = 0

There are many ways to solve it, here we will use the factoring method:

Multiply all terms by 1 to make it easier: 5t2 14t 3 = 0

Rewrite middle with 15 and 1: 5t2 15t + t 3 = 0

5t (t 3) + 1(t 3)
Factor first two and last two:
=0

Common Factor is (t 3): (5t + 1) (t 3) = 0

5t + 1 = 0 or t 3 =
And the two solutions are:
0

t = 0.2 or t = 3

The "t = 0.2" is a negative time, impossible in this case.

The "t = 3" is the answer.The ball hits the ground after 3 seconds:
Here is the graph of the Parabola h = 5t2 + 14t + 3. It shows you the height of the ball vs time

(0,3) When t=0 (at the start) the ball is at 3 m

(0.2,0) says that 0.2 seconds BEFORE we threw the ball it was at ground level. This never
happened! So, we have to use our common sense and ignore it.

(3,0) says that at 3 seconds the ball is at ground level.

Also notice that the ball goes nearly 13 meters high.

Note for the enthusiastic: You can find exactly where the top point is!

The method is explained in Graphing Quadratic Equations, and has two steps:

Find where (along the horizontal axis) the top occurs using = 2

t = b/2a = (14)/(2 5) = 14/10 = 1.4 seconds

Then find the height using that value (1.4)

h = 5t2 + 14t + 3 = 5(1.4)2 + 14 1.4 + 3 = 12.8 meters

So the ball reaches the highest point of 12.8 meters after 1.4 seconds.