Parabolas

Parabolas

1. A parabola is a curve produced from graphing a quadratic equation. It is a curve in which any point is at an equal distance from a fixed point (focus), and a fixed straight line (directrix).

   • It is comparable to the result produced when graphing a system of equations, only in this case, the curve meets the 'x' axis twice.

2. The vertex of a parabola is the high point or low point of the graph. It is the turning point of the parabola's curve.

3. The axis of symmetry of a parabola is the line which passes through the vertex and is perpendicular to the directrix of the parabola. It divides the curve into two equal halves

4. In order to determine the equation for a parabola, we must first determine whether it is vertical or horizontal.

   • If it is vertical, we use the following formula: y=a(x-h)^2+k
   • If the parabola is horizontal, the equation used will be the following: x= a(y-k)^2+h
   • In these equations, variables h and k represent the vertex point. H stands for the 'x' axis vertex coordinate, while K stands for the 'y' axis coordinate of the vertex. The X and Y are any points within the parabola, different from the vertex.

5. Parabolas can be found in the real world in all sorts of arches, including those in monuments, bridges and roller coasters

6. References Parabola. (n.d.). In Math Is Fun. Retrieved from https://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/parabola.html Vertex of a parabola. (n.d.). In Algebra Lab. Retrieved from: http://algebralab.org/lessons/lesson.aspx?file=Algebra_quad_vertex.xml Axis of symmetry of a parabola. (2016). In MathWords. Retrieved from http://www.mathwords.com/a/axis_symmetry_parabola.htm Writing the equation of parabolas. (2017). In SoftSchools. Retrieved from http://www.softschools.com/math/calculus/writing_the_equation_of_parabolas/

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