Parabola Maximum and Minimum: Example 1

Topic

Quadratics

Description

The maximum or minimum value of a parabola occurs at its vertex. For a parabola opening upward (a > 0), this point is a minimum. For a parabola opening downward (a < 0), it's a maximum. The vertex lies on the axis of symmetry.

For a quadratic function in standard form f(x) = ax² + bx + c, the x-coordinate of the vertex is given by x = -b/(2a), and the y-coordinate (maximum or minimum value) can be calculated by substituting this x-value into the original function.

This example shows a parabola given by f(x) = -2x² + 4x + 6. Since a = -2 is negative, the parabola opens downward and has a maximum value. To find it, we calculate the vertex. The x-coordinate is x = -b/(2a) = 1. Substituting this into the original function gives the maximum y-value: f(1) = 8. Therefore, the maximum value is 8, occurring at x = 1. This point (1, 8) is the vertex and lies on the axis of symmetry x = 1.

For a complete collection of math examples related to Quadratics click on this link: Math Examples: Quadratics Collection.