Processing math: 100%
Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

I was reading up on physics and came across a standard form quadratic equation. I know what a quadratic equation is but didnt know they had (a) standard form. So could someone please explain it to me...

Thanks.

Posted

I've seen different conventions in different textbooks, the most common:

y=f(x)=ax^2+bx+c

Another (wiki calls this standard form) is:

y=f(x)=a(x-x_0)^2+y_0

 

This allows you to quickly draw the parabola that it represents as you just get a standard parabola y=x^2, scale it in the y direction by a factor of a, then place the turning point at

(y_0,x_0)

Posted
  On 3/7/2011 at 10:27 AM, 1123581321 said:

I was reading up on physics and came across a standard form quadratic equation. I know what a quadratic equation is but didnt know they had (a) standard form. So could someone please explain it to me...

Thanks.

 

It also allows you to pick out the quadratic formula easily, a method that always gives you a solution:

 

x= \frac{-b\pm\sqrt{b^{2}-4ac}}{2a}

Posted

To clarify what mississippichem said in case of confusion, the quadratic formula as he posted it applies to the first form I mentioned, when trying to find f(x)=y=0 or:

ax^2+bx+c=0

Note that this isn't the same as the form khaled posted, which is much less common.

Posted
  On 3/8/2011 at 2:38 PM, Schrödinger said:

I've seen different conventions in different textbooks, the most common:

y=f(x)=ax^2+bx+c

Another (wiki calls this standard form) is:

y=f(x)=a(x-x_0)^2+y_0

 

This allows you to quickly draw the parabola that it represents as you just get a standard parabola y=x^2, scale it in the y direction by a factor of a, then place the turning point at

(y_0,x_0)

 

that is not an Equation, that is a Function ...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.