Question

In which direction does the parabola open? y = –6x2 + 10x + 20 down up left right

Answer 1

Plugged into a graphing calculator

The graph opens downward assuming the -6x2 is supposed to be -6x^2

Answer 2

1. Down is the correct answer

Explanation:

We are given,

The equation of the parabola is
`y = -6x^2+10x+20`.

We know that,

If the equation of parabola
`y =ax^2+bx+c`.

1. The x is squared, then it opens upwards or downwards.

2. If y is squared, then it opens towards left or right.

Also,

3. If 'a' is positive, then it opens upwards or towards right.

4. If 'a' is negative, then it opens downwards or towards left.

According to the given equation of the parabola, we have,

The variable 'x' is squared and the co-efficient 'a' = -6 is negative.

So, from 1 and 4, we have,

The given parabola opens downwards.