Parabola Vocabulary

Parabolas are functions that contain x-squared within them in some form. They can have up to three terms: a quadratic (x-squared) term, a linear term (x), and a constant term (a number), so that the parabola takes the form f(x) = ax^2 + bx + c. For example, f(x) = 2x^2 + 5x + 9. However, this does not have to be the case. As long as the function contains x-squared within it, it can be a parabolic function.

A parabola is shaped like a "U" if the number in front of x-squared is positive, and an upside-down U (n) if the number in front of the x-squared is negative. The middle of a parabola is the axis of symmetry, and the top/bottom of the axis of symmetry is called the vertex. The larger the number in front of the x-squared term, the thinner the function will be. The smaller the number in front of the x-squared term, the wider the function will be.