How do you find domain and range for f(x) = (x^2) - 2x - 15?

1 Answer
Oct 2, 2015

This is an equation of a parabola that opens upward and will have a minimum value for y at the vertex.

Explanation:

Since this is a parabola opening upward, the domain is all real values for x: (-oo,oo)

The general formula for a parabola is:

f(x)=ax^2+bx+c

Now, find the vertex using this formula for the x-coordinate:

x=-b/(2a) = -(-2)/(2*1) = 1

Finally, we can find the lower limit for y by inserting the x-coordinate of the vertex into the original equation:

f(1)=(1^2)-(2)(1)-15=-16

So, the range is [-16, oo)

Here is a graph of the parabola:

enter image source here

hope that helped