Name that graph again
If you know some information about a parabola, can you work out its equation?
Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
Problem
How many ways can you identify an equation for this parabola?
Image
For hint to get you started, click below.
How might considering this diagram help?
What do you know about the red parabola?
What has the red parabola got to do with the blue one?
Image
What do you know about the red parabola?
What has the red parabola got to do with the blue one?
This is an Underground Mathematics resource.
Underground Mathematics is hosted by Cambridge Mathematics. The project was originally funded by a grant from the UK Department for Education to provide free web-based resources that support the teaching and learning of post-16 mathematics.
Visit the site at undergroundmathematics.org to find more resources, which also offer suggestions, solutions and teacher notes to help with their use in the classroom.
Underground Mathematics is hosted by Cambridge Mathematics. The project was originally funded by a grant from the UK Department for Education to provide free web-based resources that support the teaching and learning of post-16 mathematics.
Visit the site at undergroundmathematics.org to find more resources, which also offer suggestions, solutions and teacher notes to help with their use in the classroom.
Student Solutions
Thank you to Minhaj from St Ivo School for his very carefully explained solution to this problem which you can find here.
In summary the answer for the equation of the parabola is $y=4x^2-8x+4.5$