Investigating

the Quadratic Function

Open Geogebra and use the input bar at the bottom of the screen to enter the
equation. Right click on a graph to change its colour and change properties to
display its label.

Graph each of the following groups of equations on a single Geogebra page. After
graphing each group, answer the questions that follow.

Group 1
Group 2


2
y = x 2
y=x
y = 2x 2

y = 2x 2

y = 4x 2
1
y = x2
2

y = 4x 2
1
y = x 2
2

1. Looking at the equation in Group 1. What remains the same? What

changes?



2. Now look at the graphs in Group 1. What is common? What is different?

The Graph is symmetric about ____________________________________

The curve is concave _______________________________________________

The co-ordinates of the vertex are ________________________________

3. Look at the equations in Group 2. What remains the same? What changes?

4. Look at the graphs in Group 2. What is common? What is different?

The Graph is symmetric about ____________________________________

The curve is concave _______________________________________________

The co-ordinates of the vertex are ________________________________

5. How are the equations in Group 2 different to Group 1? How is this
apparent from the graphs?

Now graph the following groups of equations on a single Geogebra page. After
graphing each group, answer the equations that follow.

Group 3
Group 4


2
y=x
y = x 2

y = x2 4
y = x2 + 3
y = x2 + 5

y = x 2 4
y = x 2 + 3

y = x 2 + 5

6. Look at the equation in Group 3. What remains the same? What changes?


7. Now look at the graphs in Group 3. Describe how each graph could have
been draw from the graph of y = x 2


8. Look at the equations in Group 4. What remains the same? What changes?

9. Look at the graphs in Group 4. Describe how each graph could have been
draw from the graph of y = x 2


10. How are the equations in Group3 different to Group 4? How is this
apparent from the graphs?


Write your conclusion from the investigation. Given the graph of
y = ax 2 + c
The graph is symmetric about the___________________
The curve is concave upward if _____________________
The curve is concave downward if ___________________
The vertex has co-ordinates __________________________
The greater the value of___________________________, the narrower is the
parabola.