A quadratic function, in mathematics, is a polynomial function of the form

[1]

The graph of a quadratic function is a parabola whose axis of symmetry is parallel to the y-axis.
The expression ax

+ bx + c in the definition of a quadratic function is a polynomial

of degree 2, or a 2nd degree polynomial, because the highest exponent of x is 2. This
expression is also called a quadratic polynomial or quadratic.
If the quadratic function is set equal to zero, then the result is a quadratic equation. The
solutions to the equation are called the roots of the equation.

Roots[edit]
Further information: Quadratic equation
The roots (zeros) of the quadratic function

are the values of x for which f(x)

= 0.

When the coefficients a, b, and c, are real or complex, the roots are

where the discriminant is defined as

Forms of a quadratic function[edit]

A quadratic function can be expressed in three formats:[2]

is called the standard form,

is called the factored form, where x1 and x2 are
the roots of the quadratic equation, it is used in logistic map

is called the vertex form, where h and k are

the x and y coordinates of the vertex, respectively.

To convert the standard form to factored form, one needs only the quadratic
formula to determine the two roots x1 and x2. To convert the standard form to vertex
form, one needs a process called completing the square. To convert the factored form
(or vertex form) to standard form, one needs to multiply, expand and/or distribute the
factors.

Graph[edit]

Regardless of the format, the graph of a quadratic function is a parabola (as shown
above).

If a

> 0, (or is a positive number), the parabola opens upward.

If a < 0, (or is a negative number), the parabola opens downward.

The coefficient a controls the speed of increase (or decrease) of the quadratic function
from the vertex, greater positive a values makes the function increase faster and the
graph appears more closed.
The coefficients b and a together control the axis of symmetry of the parabola (also
the x-coordinate of the vertex) which is at

The coefficient b alone is the declivity of the parabola as y-axis intercepts.

The coefficient c controls the height of the parabola, more specifically, it is the point
where the parabola intercept they-axis.

Vertex[edit]
The vertex of a parabola is the place where it turns, hence, it's also called the turning
point. If the quadratic function is in vertex form, the vertex is (h,
completing the square, one can turn the general form

k). By the method of

into

so the vertex of the parabola in the vertex form is

If the quadratic function is in factored form

the average of the two roots, i.e.,

is the x-coordinate of the vertex, and hence the vertex is

The vertex is also the maximum point if a

point if a

< 0, or the minimum

> 0.

The vertical line

that passes through the vertex is also the axis of

symmetry of the parabola.
Maximum and minimum points[edit]
Using calculus, the vertex point, being a maximum or
minimum of the function, can be obtained by finding the
roots of the derivative:

giving

with the corresponding function value

so again the vertex point coordinates can be

expressed as

The square root of a

quadratic function[edit]
The square root of a quadratic function
gives rise to one of the four conic
sections, almost always either to
an ellipse or to a hyperbola. If
then the
equation
describes a hyperbola. The axis of the
hyperbola is determined by the ordinate of
the minimum point of the corresponding
parabola

If the ordinate is negative, then the

hyperbola's axis is horizontal. If the
ordinate is positive, then the hyperbola's
axis is vertical.
If

then the

equation
describes either an ellipse or nothing at
all. If the ordinate of the maximum point of
the corresponding
parabola

is

positive, then its square root describes an

ellipse, but if the ordinate is negative then
it describes an empty locus of points.

Iteration[edit]

Given an

, one

cannot always deduce the analytic form

of

, which means the nth iteration

of

. (The superscript can be

extended to negative number referring to

the iteration of the inverse of

if the

inverse exists.) But there is one easier

case, in
which

In such case, one has

,
where
and

.
So by induction,

can be obtained,
where

can be easily

computed as
.
Finally, we have
,
in the case
of
.

Bivariate (two variable) quadratic function[edit]

Further information: Quadric and Quadratic form
A bivariate quadratic function is a second-degree polynomial of the form

Such a function describes a quadratic surface. Setting

intersection of the surface with the plane

equal to zero describes the

, which is a locus of points equivalent to a conic

section.

Minimum/maximum[edit]
If

the function has no maximum or minimum, its graph forms an

hyperbolic paraboloid.
If

the function has a minimum if A>0, and a maximum if A<0, its graph

forms an elliptic paraboloid.

The minimum or maximum of a bivariate quadratic function is obtained at

If

and

where:

the function has

no maximum or minimum, its graph forms a parabolic cylinder.

If

and

the function

achieves the maximum/minimum at a line. Similarly, a minimum if A>0 and a maximum

if A<0, its graph forms a parabolic cylinder.

Quadratic polynomial[edit]
In mathematics, a quadratic polynomial or quadratic is a polynomial of degree two, also
called second-order polynomial. That means the exponents of the polynomial's variables
are no larger than 2. For example,
while

is a quadratic polynomial,

is not.

Coefficients[edit]
The coefficients of a polynomial are often taken to be real or complex numbers, but in
fact, a polynomial may be defined over any ring.

Degree[edit]
When using the term "quadratic polynomial", authors sometimes mean "having degree
exactly 2", and sometimes "having degree at most 2". If the degree is less than 2, this
may be called a "degenerate case". Usually the context will establish which of the two is
meant.
Sometimes the word "order" is used with the meaning of "degree", e.g. a second-order
polynomial.

Variables[edit]
A quadratic polynomial may involve a single variable x, or multiple variables such
as x, y, and z.
The one-variable case[edit]
Any single-variable quadratic polynomial may be written as

where x is the variable, and a, b, and c represent the coefficients. In elementary

algebra, such polynomials often arise in the form of a quadratic
equation

. The solutions to this equation are called

the roots of the quadratic polynomial, and may be found

through factorization, completing the square, graphing, Newton's method, or
through the use of the quadratic formula. Each quadratic polynomial has an
associated quadratic function, whose graph is a parabola.
If the polynomial is a polynomial in one variable, it determines a quadratic function
in one variable. An example is given by f(x) = x2 + x 2;. The graph of such
a function is aparabola (in degenerate cases a line), and its zeroes can be found by
solving the quadratic equation f(x) = 0.
There are three main forms :

general form,

logistic form,

monic and centered form,

.
, used to study 1D discrete dynamics,
, used to study complex

dynamics.
Two variables case[edit]
Any quadratic polynomial with two variables may be written as

where x and y are the variables and a, b, c, d, e, and f are the coefficients. Such
polynomials are fundamental to the study of conic sections. Similarly, quadratic
polynomials with three or more variables correspond to quadric surfaces
and hypersurfaces. In linear algebra, quadratic polynomials can be generalized
to the notion of a quadratic form on avector space.
N variables case[edit]

In the general case, a quadratic polynomial in n variables x1, ..., xn can be

written in the form

where Q is a symmetric n-dimensional matrix, P is an n-dimensional vector,

a