🏹 Quadratics and parabolas

Unit 3 · Numbers & functions · 10 min

y = ax² + bx + c graphs as a parabola. a > 0 opens up, a < 0 opens down. The vertex is the highest or lowest point. A thrown ball or a fountain jet roughly follows a parabola.

Words in this lesson

• 抛物线 (pāo wù xiàn) — parabola
• 顶点 (dǐng diǎn) — vertex

Project: Film a ball toss in slow motion, trace its path and see whether it is a parabola.