Name _______________ Date _____________

 
Quadratic Equations in Three Flavors 

Quadratic equations are equations that include a quadratic, or squared term. (“Quadrus” means square.) That
means that somewhere in the equation, the variable (usually called x) is being squared, that is,raised to the
second power. Also, there’s no terms that are cubed or raised to any power higher than 2.

When graphed, these equations always produce a parabola. Just as the line is the graphical form of the linear
equation, the parabola is the graphical form of the quadratic equation. This makes sense: in a linear equation,
the y value is proportional to the x value; it grows or shrinks in the same proportion as x grows or shrinks. This
proportion is the slope of the equation. So that produces a line.

In a quadratic function, the proportion isn’t constant. Because of the squared term, the change in y gets much
more pronounced as x moves toward positive or negative infinity. So we see the shape of the graph swoop up
(or down, in a downward-pointing parabola) as it gets farther from the middle of the parabola (the vertex).

There are three main ways to write a quadratic equation, and each has its benefits when we’re trying to graph
it.

A. Standard Form: y = ax² + bx + c

This is probably the most common form. ​a​, ​b​ and ​c​ represent the coefficients of each term.
They will be numbers.

● ax² is called the quadratic or squared term

● bx is called the linear term
● c is called the constant term

Here are some examples:

y = 2x² + 3x + 7 a=2 y = 5x² +2x a=5

b=3 b=2
c=7 c=0

y = x² - 2x + 1 a=1 y = x² +12 a=1

b = -2 b=0
c=1 c = 12

y = ½x² - x - 5 a=½ y = 2x +5 No quadratic term,

b = -1 so this is not a
c = -5 quadratic equation!
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 YOUR TURN:

Identify ​a,​ ​b ​and ​c i​ n the following quadratic equations:

y = 2x² - 16x + 30 a ______ b _______ c _______

y = d² + 9d + 20 a ______ b _______ c _______

y = 16g² - 16g - 21 a ______ b _______ c _______

y = 5h² - 60h a ______ b _______ c _______

y = -4p² + 44p + 96 a ______ b _______ c _______

y = -6d² + 20 a ______ b _______ c _______

The ​Standard Form​ tells us two important things about how to graph the parabola it represents:

● The sign of the quadratic term ( ​ax² )​ tells us whether the parabola opens upward (if ​a ​is
positive) or downward (if a is negative).
● The constant term ( ​c ​) tells us what the y-intercept of the parabola is; that is, where the
parabola crosses the y-axis.

YOUR TURN:

Identify the direction (up or down) and the y-intercept of the parabolas represented by the following

quadratic equations:

y = 2x² - 16x + 30 direction _______ y-intercept _______

y = d² + 9d + 20 direction _______ y-intercept _______

y = 16g² - 16g - 21 direction _______ y-intercept _______

y = 5h² - 60h direction _______ y-intercept _______

y = -4p² + 44p + 96 direction _______ y-intercept _______

y = -6d² + 20 direction _______ y-intercept _______

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C. Intercept (Factored) Form: y = a(x + r)(x + s)

In this form, we factor the original quadratic equation so that it’s a multiple of two linear expressions.
We’ve practiced factoring quadratic expressions, but remember this property of a quadratic equation
when ​a ​= 1 (that is, the quadratic term has no coefficient in front of it):

If:
and (two forms of the same eqn)

then

and (using FOIL)

which means

and (combining like terms)

Which means that, whatever r and s are, they have these properties:

their sum is the linear coefficient of the standard form (​ b​ )

their product is the constant coefficient of the standard form ( ​c ​)

So to factor the quadratic equation, you just need to find factor pairs of ​c​ that add up to ​b!​
​ oes not equal 1 (there’s a coefficient in front of the x term) one way to deal with that is to divide the
If ​a d
whole equation by ​a​, factor the quadratic, and then multiply everything by a again.

So, starting with:

y = ax2 + bx + c divide both sides by ​a​ to get

then you factor, finding ​r​ and ​s​ to get

and finally multiply both sides by ​a​ to get

the Intercept Form.

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 Let’s see how this works in practice:

y = x2 + 9x + 20 Since ​a​ = 1 (there’s no coefficient in front of the quadratic term)

we can just start factoring.

c ​= 20 This means that ​rs​ must equal 20. What are the factor pairs of 20?

1 • 20
2 • 10
4•5

b​ = 9 This means that r + s must equal 9. What are the sums of the factor pairs?

1 • 20 1 + 20 = 21 NO
2 • 10 2 + 10 = 12 NO
4•5 4+5=9 YES!

So ​r ​and ​s​ are 4 and 5, giving us an Intercept Form of:

y = (x + 4)(x + 5)

If we want to check our work, we can do FOIL to revert this back to standard form:

y = x2 + 5x + 4x + 20

y = x2 + 9x + 20

YOUR TURN:

Rewrite the following Standard Form quadratic equations in Intercept Form. First, find the factors of the
constant term in each of these equations, and then the sum of those factors. Circle the factor pair
whose sum equals the coefficient of the linear term. In other words:

For each equation y = x2 + bx + c , find r and s such that rs = c and r + s = b .

Let’s walk through the first one:

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 y = x2 + 7x + 10 c​ = 10, so list the factor pairs of 10 and the sum of those pairs:

​c = rs​ = 10 (finish filling out the table)

r s r+s

Now circle the pair whose sum, ​r + s,​ equals ​b​, or 7. These are the numbers we were looking for!

All that needs to be done now is to use these two numbers to write the Intercept Form of the equation:

y = (x + r)(x + s) y = (x + ___)(x + ___)

Now with a little less help, rewrite the Standard Form equation below in Intercept Form:

y = x2 + 11x + 30 c = rs ​= 30 (fill out the table and circle the sum that = ​b​ = 11

r s r+s

With this ​r ​and ​s​, write the Intercept Form of the equation:

y = (x + ___)(x + ___)

Now you’re on your own. Rewrite the following Standard Form equations in Intercept form, showing
your work:

y = x2 + 5x + 6 y = (x + ___)(x + ___)
r s r+s

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 y = (x + ___)(x + ___)

Remember! If c is negative,
r and s have opposite signs.
y = x2 + x − 6 y = (x + ___)(x + ___)
r s r+s

Remember! If b is negative and c

is positive, r and s are negative.
y = x2 − 6x + 8 y = (x + ___)(x + ___)
r s r+s

Remember! If b is zero, r and s

are exact opposites.
y = x2 − 9 y = (x + ___)(x + ___)
r s r+s

y = x2 + 8x + 16 y = (x + ___)(x + ___)
r s r+s

You can also write this as:

y = (x + ___)²

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 Of course converting from Intercept Form to Standard Form just means multiplying the factored terms
together using FOIL to get back to a trinomial (three term) quadratic equation. You can do this to check
your work in the problems above if you want to be sure of your answer.

The ​Intercept Form​ tells us one important thing about how to graph the parabola it represents:

The Intercept Form makes it VERY easy to determine the x-intercepts of the parabola.
Remember, the parabola intercepts the x-axis wherever ​y = ​0. That’s what the x-axis is, after all;
it’s the line where ​y​ = 0.

So we need to find the values of ​x​ which, when plugged into the equation, result in ​y​ =0.

When the quadratic equation is in Intercept Form, this is very easy. Remember that the only way
for the product of two or more numbers to equal zero, is for one or more of those numbers to
equal zero. So this means that for the quadratic equation to equal zero, one of its factors must
equal zero.

In the Intercept Form we have:

y = a(x + r)(x + s)

So either: (x + r) = 0

or (x + s) = 0

Meaning: x= −r

or x= −s

These two values, ​-r​ and -​ s,​ are called the ​solutions​ o
​ f the quadratic equation. Although they’re
really only the solutions for the case where ​y​ = 0! But nevertheless, that’s what they’re called.
They are also sometimes called the ​zeros​ (sensibly) or the ​roots​ (less sensibly) of the equation.
You might see any of those terms, but they all mean: the values of ​x​ that make ​y​ = 0.

At these points, the graph of the parabola intersects the x-axis.

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 YOUR TURN:

Given the following quadratic equations in Intercept Form, identify the solutions/zeros/roots of the
equation. Remember that the solutions are the negative of the r and s of the factors.

Equation Solutions

y = (x − 7)(x + 3) x = __________ or x = __________

y = (x + 5)(x + 1) x = __________ or x = __________

y = (x − 3)(x − 8) x = __________ or x = __________

y = (2x − 4)(x − 1) This one is tricky! x = __________ or x = __________

For the last problem, remember that you need to find the x that will make 2x - 4 = 0.

D. Vertex Form: y = a(x - h)² + k

The last form our quadratic equation can take is the Vertex Form. This one is a bit more
complex than the others, and converting to it from the other forms involves some fancy
algebraic gymnastics, which we’ll study next week. For now, know that this form allows us to
easily find the ​vertex ​(turning point) of the parabola.

The ​vertex​ of the parabola is the lowest point of an upward-facing parabola (like the bottom of a
valley) or the highest point of a downward-facing parabola (like the top of a hill).

When a quadratic equation is in Vertex Form, we can easily figure out the vertex from the
equation.

If:
y = a(x − h)2 + k then the vertex is at (h, k )

For instance, for the equation:

y = 3(x − 2)2 + 5 the vertex is at (2, 5)

And for the equation:

y = (x + 3)2 − 8 the vertex is at (− 3,− 8)

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 Be mindful of the signs! The x-coordinate of the vertex is the opposite sign of the number that’s
inside the parentheses with the x, and the y-coordinate of the vertex is the same sign as the
number that’s being subtracted from that expression in parentheses.

So, the ​Vertex Form​ tells us one important thing about how to graph the parabola it represents:

If the quadratic expression is written in the form

y = a(x − h)2 + k then the vertex of the parabola is at (h, k ) .

YOUR TURN:

Identify the vertices (that’s the plural of vertex) of the parabolas represented by the following quadratic
equations in Vertex Form:

Equation Vertex

y = (x − 4)2 + 2 (x,y) = ( __________ , __________ )

y = 2(x + 2)2 − 3 (x,y) = ( __________ , __________ )

y = 7(x − 12)2 Think: what is k? (x,y) = ( __________ , __________ )

y = 3x2 − 7 Think: what is h? (x,y) = ( __________ , __________ )

E. Converting between Standard, Intercept, and Vertex Forms

Here are all the possibilities:

From ↓ To Standard Intercept Vertex

→

Standard Factor Fancy Algebra

Intercept FOIL FOIL, then Fancy Algebra

Vertex FOIL, then combine FOIL, then Factor

constant terms

● Starting with the Standard Form, we’ve seen how to factor the equation to get the Intercept Form.
● Going from Standard Form to Vertex Form involves some fancy algebra we’ll do next week.

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 ● Going from Intercept Form to Standard form just means multiplying the factors together with FOIL.
● Likewise, we’d do some fancy algebra after this to then convert Standard to Vertex Form.

● Going from Vertex to Standard just involves using FOIL to expand the squared expression, then
combining the constant terms.
● After we’ve converted Vertex to Standard, we can use factoring to find the Intercept Form.

YOUR TURN:

Starting with the Vertex Form, convert these quadratic equations to Standard and Intercept Forms. The
first problem is an example:

​Vertex Form​: y = (x − 5)2 − 1 use FOIL to expand the squared expression

y = (x2 − 10x + 25) − 1 combine the constant terms

Standard Form​: y = x2 − 10x + 24 find two numbers whose sum is -10 and product is 24: -4, -6

Intercept Form y = (x − 4)(x − 6) use those two numbers to create the factors of the equation

👉​Show your work.👈

​

Vertex Form (x + 3)2 − 4

Standard Form

Intercept Form

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Vertex Form (x + 4)2 − 1

Standard Form

Intercept Form

Vertex Form (x + 1)2 − 9

Standard Form

Intercept Form

Vertex Form (x − 2)2 − 9

Standard Form

Intercept Form

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 F. Using the different algebraic forms to find the last form: the Graphical Form.

As we’ve seen, each form of the quadratic equation gives us a different piece of information that helps
us turn the written equation into its graphical form. Let’s use the example from the previous section to
demonstrate:

Standard Form​: y = x2 − 10x + 24 Gives us the y-intercept of the parabola: (0, 24)

Intercept Form y = (x − 4)(x − 6) Gives us the roots (zeros) of the parabola: (4,0) and (6,0)

Vertex Form​: y = (x − 5)2 − 1 Gives us the VERTEX of the parabola: (5,-1)

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YOUR TURN:

Using the first problem from the last section, write the Vertex, Standard, and Intercept forms of the
equation, and the information about the Graphical Form you get from each. Then, graph the parabola!

Vertex Form (x + 3)2 − 4 vertex: ( , )

Standard Form y-intercept: ( 0 , )

roots:
Intercept Form
( , 0 ) and ( , 0)

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