Sections 2.6 - Graphing Special Parabolas

Section Objectives

  1. Graph parabolas whose equations have the form .
  2. Graph parabolas whose equations have the form .



Parabolas

The graph of a quadratic equation of the form is called a parabola. Parabolas are examples of more general conic sections. A parabola is a smooth U-shaped curve. The turning point of the U is called the vertex, and parabolas are symmetric about the line through the vertex.



The parabola described by is a graph you should become familiar with. The graph is a smooth U shape, opening upward, with its vertex at .


The standard parabola can be transformed in a number of ways:



By thinking about these transformations and plotting a few points, it is easy to graph basic parabolas.



Examples