Test 3 Section 3 Number 12?
This is one of my favorite questions! All you’re told is that has its vertex at
, and then you’re asked for an expression for d, the y-coordinate of the vertex.
The way to get this is to recognize that the factored form you’re given is already giving you the x-coordinate of the vertex. If the parabola can be factored to , then you know it has zeros at x = 2 and x = –4. Because all parabolas are symmetrical, you know that the x-coordinate of the vertex must be right smack between those zeros (i.e., at the average of those zeros).
, so the x-coordinate of the vertex is –1.
Now all you need to do is plug –1 in for x to find the y-coordinate of the vertex.