Graph the function y = 2(x - 5)^2 - 4

Do you have or are you allowed to use a graphing calculator? This is in the same form as your other post. Are you trying to find the vertices of the parabola? The zeros (x-intercepts)? What?
 
adpcane15 said:
It says to graph the function but i am lost
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It sounds as though you've accidentally been placed in the wrong course. Long before you get to "functions" and graphing more-complicated lines, you should have had a class in which you'd studied graphing straight lines. While there are some helpful details one can learn for graphing more-complicated lines, the base process is exactly the same.

Since you are entirely "lost", unable even to plot a single point, obviously you missed all that stuff with the x,y-plane, plotting points, doing T-charts, finding intercepts, and graphing straight lines, all things which would have been done (to death!) in those earlier courses.

Since it would take weeks or months of instruction to cover this material, obviously you won't be able to get help in a forum posting. So please have a serious heart-to-heart with your academic advisor about better course placement, so you at least have a chance of understanding what they're talking about. If re-placement is not possible, then you probably need to consider hiring a qualified local tutor and setting aside a few hours a week for concentrated study of the missing course material. (We don't know how many classes you were accidentally skipped ahead; with luck, you'll only need a few months with your tutor to get caught up.)

Good luck! :D

Eliz.
 
The preceding post suggests that you graph a parabola whose vertex is at (0.0). That is, y = x^2. Your graph y = 2(x - 5)^2 - 4 will be translated 5 units right and 4 units down. The vertex will move to (5, -4).

The standard form for a parabola is y = a(x -h)^2 + k, where (h, k) is the vertex. If a > 0, the parabola opens up. If a < 0 the parabola opens down.

Have fun! :)
 
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