How do you solve a parabola if it is like this y=x(squared)+-3
To solve a quadratic equation in the form of y = ax^2 + bx + c, you can use the quadratic formula or complete the square method to find the x-intercepts (also known as the roots) of the parabola.
For the given equation, y = x^2 - 3, it is already in the standard form where a = 1, b = 0, and c = -3. To find the x-intercepts, we need to set y = 0 and solve for x.
0 = x^2 - 3
To solve this equation, we can add 3 to both sides:
3 = x^2
Now, if we take the square root of both sides, we get:
sqrt(3) = x or -sqrt(3) = x
So the x-intercepts (or roots) of the parabola are x = sqrt(3) and x = -sqrt(3).
You can also graph the parabola to visually see the x-intercepts. Simply plot points along the curve by substituting different x-values into the equation and plot the corresponding y-values. In this case, you can choose different x-values (e.g., -2, -1, 0, 1, 2) and calculate the corresponding y-values using the equation y = x^2 - 3. Plot these points on a graph, and you will see the shape of the parabola, as well as the points where it intersects the x-axis, indicating the x-intercepts.