Finding the Vertex of the Quadratic Function
The vertex of a quadratic function is a crucial point that represents either the maximum or minimum value of the function. In the case of the quadratic function, it can be expressed in the standard form as:
f(x) = ax2 + bx + c
In your question, however, it seems there might have been a slight typo, as you mentioned f(x) = 8x – 2, which is technically a linear function instead of a quadratic function. To clarify, let’s assume we want to analyze a standard quadratic function, which might look like this:
f(x) = ax2 + bx + c
For the sake of this explanation, let’s use f(x) = 2x2 + 8x – 2. Here, we can identify:
- a = 2
- b = 8
- c = -2
Step 1: Calculate the x-coordinate of the Vertex
The formula to find the x-coordinate of the vertex from the coefficients a and b is:
x = -b / (2a)
Plugging in the values we have:
x = -8 / (2 * 2) = -8 / 4 = -2
Step 2: Calculate the y-coordinate of the Vertex
Now, substitute the x-coordinate back into the original function to find the y-coordinate:
f(-2) = 2(-2)2 + 8(-2) – 2
f(-2) = 2(4) – 16 – 2 = 8 – 16 – 2 = -10
Step 3: Summarize the Vertex
(-2, -10)
This point signifies the minimum value of the function since the coefficient a is positive, indicating that the parabola opens upwards.