Name _______________________________________________ Period ____________

Translating Parabolas
Big Idea

Vocabulary
Prerequisite

 coordinate

 line of symmetry

 square

 square root

 parabola

 quadratic

 reflection

 vertex

 x-intercept

New

 intercept form

 maximum value

 minimum value

 vertex form

 translate

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 Translating Parabolas

Review
Minimum/Maximum

The minimum of a function is the smallest value a function can take. The maximum of a
function is the largest value a function can take. The range of a function is all the
values a function can take.
1. What is the relationship between the range of a function and it’s minimum and
maximum?

____________________________________________________________________

Find the minimum and maximum values of the following functions.

Figure 1 h x = sin x

1 Figure 2 1

-2 2 -2 2

-1 -1

2. Minimum ______________
3. Minimum ______________
Maximum ______________
Maximum ______________

Figure 3 1 Figure 4 1

-2 2 -2 2

-1 -1

4. Minimum ______________ 5. Minimum ______________

Maximum ______________ Maximum ______________

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 Translating Parabolas

4
Discovery gx = x-12

3
Translating Parabolas
2
Example: Graph the equations A. y  x fx = x2
2

and B. y   x  1 . How is the graph of

2
1

equation A geometrically related to the

graph of equation B? -2 (0,0) (1,0) 2 4

Graph B is translated one unit to the right.

2
6. Graph the equations A. y  x and 7. Graph the equations A. y  x2 and
2 2
B. y  x  1 . How is the graph of B. y  x  1. How is the graph of
equation 6A geometrically related to equation 7A geometrically related to
the graph of equation 6B? the graph of equation 7B?

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 Translating Parabolas

2 2
8. Graph the equations A. y  x and 9. Graph the equations A. y  x and
B. y  2 x . How is the graph of 1
B. y  x . How is the graph of
equation 8A geometrically related to 2
the graph of equation 8B? equation 9A geometrically related to
the graph of equation 9B?

2 2
10. Graph the equations A. y  2x and 11. Graph the equations A. y  x and
2
B. y  2( x  1) . How is the graph of 2
B. y   x . How is the graph of
equation 10A geometrically related to equation 11A geometrically related to
the graph of equation 10B? the graph of equation 11B?

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 Translating Parabolas

2 2
12. Graph the equations A. y   x and 13. Graph the equations A. y  2( x  1)

 
2
y   x  1 2 . How is the graph of and y  2 x  1 . How is the graph if
equation 6A geometrically related to equation 13A geometrically related to
the graph of equation 6B? the graph of 13 B?

Predict what the graphs of each of the following equations will look like by
sketching it. Then use a graphing calculator to verify your graph.
2 2
14. y  x  2 15. y  3x

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 Translating Parabolas

1 17. y  3x  1
16. y  x  12
3

18. y  2 x  2 2  2 19. y   x  1  1

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 Translating Parabolas

Vertex Form of a Quadratic Equation

Vertex
The vertex of a parabola
is the point where the
parabola reaches a
maximum (for parabolas
that opens downwards),
or a minimum (for
parabolas that open
upwards).

Line of Symmetry
For every parabola, a
line can be drawn
through the vertex that
is equidistant from
corresponding parts of
the parabola. Look figure
1. Line segment A goes from the parabola to the line of symmetry. Line segment A'
goes from the line of symmetry to the opposite side of the parabola. Line A and A'
are the same length.

20. If we reflect the parabola around its line of symmetry, what will we get?

____________________________________________

21. The vertex of a parabola is at the _______________ or _________________ of the

parabola.
2

22. If the length of the line segment A in Figure 2

figure 2 is 14, what is the length of line
segment B ?
1

23. What is the vertex of the parabola in figure A B

2?
-2

24. Does the parabola in figure 2 open upwards

or downwards?
-1

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 Translating Parabolas

Describe the effect that each change has on the graph of each original
equation.

Example: changing y  3( x  1) 2  2 to y  3( x  1) 2  1.
Changing y  3( x  1) 2  2 to y  3( x  1) 2  1 translates the parabola down 3.

25. changing y  3( x  1) 2  1 to y  3( x  2) 2  1

26. changing y  3( x  1) 2  1 to y  6( x  1) 2  1

27. changing y  1( x  1) 2  1 to y  1( x  1) 2  1

28. changing y  1( x  1) 2  2 to y  1( x  2) 2  1

Complete the following.

29. When a quadratic equation is in the form y  a ( x  h)  k , the point h, k  is

the _______________ of the parabola.

The form y  a ( x  h)  k is called the vertex form of a quadratic equation. This is

because the point (h, k) is the vertex of the parabola.

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 Translating Parabolas

Give the equation of the following parabolas in vertex form.

8
30.
8

6
6

4
4

2
2

-5 (0,0) 5 (1,1)
-5 5
-2

Example: y  ( x  0) 2  0 -2

31. 32.
8

(-2,1) -5 5

-5 5
-2
(-1,-2)
-2

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 Translating Parabolas

Give the equation of the following parabolas in vertex form.

Example:
8

Step 1: Write down

the general vertex
y  a ( x  h) 2  k
6
form of a quadratic
equation.
4
Step 2: Substitute the
(0,3) y  a ( x  1) 2  1
vertex for h and k .
2
Step 3: Substitute the
other point for x and
3  a (0  1) 2  1
(1,1)
-5 5
y.
Step 4: Solve for a. 3  a (1) 2  1

3  a (1)  1
3  a 1
3 1  a  11
2a
Step 5 Rewrite the y  2( x  1)  1
equation.

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 Translating Parabolas

33. 34.
2 6
(2,1)

4
5

-2
(2,2)
2

(0,-3)
-4
-5

-6 (-1,-1)
-2

35. 36.
6 8
(1,5)

4 6

2 4

2
5
(0,1)
-2
-5
(-1,1/3)
(-1,-3)

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 Translating Parabolas

Answers
1. The minimum and maximum are the low and high values of the range.
2. Minimum -1, Maximum 1
3. No minimum or maximum
4. Minimum -1, no maximum
5. Minimum -1, maximum 1

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