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| Question 204250:  How do you complete this function equation f(x)=-2x^2+8x-5. I need to find the vertex h,k , compute h and k and graph the quadratic equation. Plus find the max value of f where it occurs.
 I started the equation and found h.
 a=-2 b=8 c=-5, so using the ormula -b/2a I got -8/2(-2) which gave me -8/-4 which gave me 2. h=2. Where do I go from here?
 Answer by nerdybill(7384)
      (Show Source): 
You can put this solution on YOUR website! How do you complete this function equation f(x)=-2x^2+8x-5. I need to find the vertex h,k , compute h and k and graph the quadratic equation. Plus find the max value of f where it occurs. I started the equation and found h.
 a=-2 b=8 c=-5, so using the ormula -b/2a I got -8/2(-2) which gave me -8/-4 which gave me 2. h=2. Where do I go from here?
 .
 What you found:
 -b/2a = 2
 is the "axis of symmetry"
 .
 To find 'k', simply plug 2 back into the equation and solve:
 f(x)=-2x^2+8x-5
 f(2)=-2(2)^2+8(2)-5
 f(x)=-8+16-5
 f(x)=3
 .
 So, (h,k) = (2,3) vertex
 .
 To plot, looking at the 'a' coefficient (-2), we KNOW it is a parabola that opens downward.  Use the "vertex" above and find two additional points to plot.  The two additional points could be where the parabola crosses the x-axis:
 0=-2x^2+8x-5
 .
 
 
 | Solved by pluggable solver: SOLVE quadratic equation with variable |  | Quadratic equation  (in our case  ) has the following solutons: 
 
  
 For these solutions to exist, the discriminant
  should not be a negative number. 
 First, we need to compute the discriminant
  :  . 
 Discriminant d=24 is greater than zero. That means that there are two solutions:
  . 
 
  
  
 Quadratic expression
  can be factored: 
  Again, the answer is: 0.775255128608411, 3.22474487139159.
Here's your graph:
 
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