Final answer:
The equation y=e^-x² is a Gaussian function that produces a bell-shaped curve, not a parabola.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equation of the curve represented by y=e^-x² is an example of a Gaussian function, which graphically represents a bell-shaped curve that is symmetric about the y-axis and has its peak at the origin (0,0). This function is not a parabola, which is typically represented by a quadratic equation of the form y = ax + bx². Instead, the function y=e^-x² decreases exponentially as x moves away from zero in either direction, and approaches zero but never actually reaches it. Unlike linear, quadratic, or polynomial functions that may form straight lines or parabolic curves, this Gaussian curve represents a different type of function that deals with exponential decay primarily found in statistics, physics, and engineering.