SOLUTION: Hello! I am having a hard time understanding the way much of the online math resources are written. They all seem to be using a very mathematical sort of dialect (thus we can see.
Algebra ->
Quadratic-relations-and-conic-sections
-> SOLUTION: Hello! I am having a hard time understanding the way much of the online math resources are written. They all seem to be using a very mathematical sort of dialect (thus we can see.
Log On
Question 652586: Hello! I am having a hard time understanding the way much of the online math resources are written. They all seem to be using a very mathematical sort of dialect (thus we can see... or to find x we need to complete a square, with no word on how one might accomplish this "completion of a square"), which in my opinion is counterproductive--the very people needing help with math are the very ones who won't understand the language! Anyways, that's a bit long-winded, so here's the problem:
"If a parabola opening to the left has a vertex at (-1, -3) and passes through point (-3,-2), what is the coefficient of the squared term in the parabola's equation?"
Thanks very much for reading this! Answer by ewatrrr(24785) (Show Source):
Hi,
Parabolas:
the vertex form of a Parabola opening up(a>0) or down(a<0)is:
where(h,k) is the vertex
the vertex form of a Parabola opening right(a>0) or left(a<0)is:
where(h,k) is the vertex
Question states***
parabola opening to the left has a vertex at (-1, -3)
x = a(y+3) - 1 , a <0 |Using Pt(-3,-2) to solve for a
-3 = a(-2 + 3)^2 - 1
-2 = a
x = -2(y+3) - 1
the coefficient of the squared term is -2
