Chapter 6
Specializing in Quadratic Functions
In This Chapter
Picking up on the characteristics of a quadratic from its equation
Using quadratic functions to solve real-life problems
Getting the visual: Parabolic graphs
Quadratic functions are relatively recognizable, easily manipulated, and surprisingly common in the realm of the functions that model what goes on in the real world — perfect pawns for all your brilliant plots (in algebra)!
The standard form for the quadratic function is f(x) = ax2 + bx + c where a, b, and c are real numbers that are constants, a ≠ 0, and x is the variable, or input value.
From this simple format, you can tell a lot about the nature of the function. Solving for intercepts or other function values is possible because of the factoring properties of the quadratics and the quadratic formula (see Chapter 2 for more info on solving quadratic equations). Saying anything bad about these functions is just really hard — so I won’t!
In this chapter, I show you how to find the x- and y-intercepts of a quadratic function. Every quadratic function has a y-intercept, ...
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