Quadratics
By: Hannah Norton
Parabola
A parabola is a two-dimensional, mirror-symmetrical curve, which is approximately U-shaped when oriented as shown in the diagram, but which can be in any orientation in its plane.
Example: If you kick a soccer ball, it will arc up into the air and come down again
Quadratic
A quadratic is a formula involving the second and no higher power of an unknown quantity or variable.
Axis of Symmetry
A line through a shape so that each side is a mirror image.
Example: Draw a line in the middle of a circle so that each side is equal.
Second Differences
When the x-differences are all constant, then the second differences are useful in telling if a set of data is nearly quadratic or not.