This week in pre-calc we expanded on “Analyzing the Quadratic Equation”. We learned about 3 different forms. We learned about standard form, general form, and factored form. All 3 forms are connected to each other and tell us different things. Standard form + q gives us the vertex, general form gives us the y-intercept, and factored form gives us roots, zeros, and x-intercepts. Each letter in all the equations gives us different parts of the graph. For standard form “A” tells us which way it opens and the width of the parabola the smaller the number, the wider the parabola. “P” gives us the x-intercept. If “p” is negative it moves to the left, and if its positive it moves to the right. The “q” is the y-intercept, if its gets larger the parabola moves up, if it gets smaller the parabola moves down. For general form the “c” is the y intercept.

This week we started on graphing quadratic equations. We learned about finding the vertex, y and x axis, lines of symmetry etc. Our last lesson was warming us up for graphing. We learned about parbolas as well. Desmos.com is a really cool website to help you graph the quadratic.

This is the main equation for graphing a quadtraic, things are added to this.

This week in Pre- Calc were learned 3 different ways to solve quadratic equations. The first way is factoring, where you factor out the numbers, making an equation, and then you solve for x. The second way is using the quadratic formula to solve the equation. Lastly, the third way is by completing the square. The main point of completing the square is creating a zero pair on the same side. I personally like using the quadratic formula the best.

This week we refreshed radicals. We also learned about adding and subtracting radicals, and multiplying and dividing them. At first I found this difficult, but continuing through the week it started to get easier and easier. It really helped when we refreshed on radicals from last year and related it to stuff we’ve been learning since kindergarten.