Question #6d616

1 Answer
Apr 9, 2016

Y intercept: At the point (0,1)
Axis of symmetry: At x=1/2
Vertex: At the point (1/2,0)

Explanation:

Let's have a look at the y-intercept first:

Y intercepts where x =0.

Therefore, substitute all x variables with 0 and solve for "y".

y=4(0)^2-4(0)+1
y=1

Therefore, the y intercept is present at the point (0,1)

Now let's have a look at the vertex:

Note: I'll use the terms Turning Point and Vertex interchangeably as they are the same thing.

Consider the general form of a parabolic function:
y=ax^2+bx+c
If we compare the equation that you have presented:

y = 4x^2 -4x +1

We can determine that:

The x^2 coefficient is 4; this implies that a = 4
The x coefficient is -4; this implies that b = -4
The constant term is 1; this implies that c = 1

Therefore, we can use the formula:

Tp_x=-b/(2a) to determine the x value of the turning point.

Substituting the appropriate values into the formula we get:

Tp_x=4/(2*4)

=4/8

=1/2

Therefore, the x value of the vertex is x = 1/2

Substitute x = 1/2 into the general form of the equation to determine the coordinate of the vertex:

y = 4x^2 -4x +1
Therefore, y=4(1/2)^2-4(1/2)+1
Simplifying the function we get:

y=0

Therefore, the vertex of the function is present at the point (1/2,0)

Finally, let's have a look at the axis of symmetry:

The axis of symmetry is essentially the x value of the turning point (the vertex) of a parabola.

If we have determined the x value of the turning point as 1/2, we can then say that the axis of symmetry of the function is present at x=1/2.