Parabolas

Hello,

Today I am going to talk about parabolas. They are quadratic graphs and are shaped like a "u", although if the standard form is negative, it is shaped like an "n". The a value in standard form determines the opening up or down, and if a>0, then it opens up, and if a<0, it opens down. Parabolas have a vertex, a focus, and a directrix. On a regular (x-h)^2 = 4c(y-k) graph, (h,k) is the vertex, (h, k+c) is the focus, and h-c is the directrix. The axis of symmetry is on the same x coordinate as the vertex of a standard parent graph. Parabolas are present in many fields, including physics and engineering.

Thanks,
Kaili Chiu