How do you find the VERTEX of a parabola y=-x^2+4x+12?

1 Answer
Jul 18, 2015

I found:
x_v=2
y_v=16

Explanation:

You could use the derivative (setting it equal to zero to find the x coordinate of the vertex) but I am not sure you know the derivative so, instead, you can find the x coordinate using the relationship:
x_v=-b/(2a)
using your equation in the form y=ax^2+bx+c where:
a=-1
b=4
c=12 you get:
x_v=-4/(-2)=2
Substituting back this value into your equation you get:
y_v=-4+8+12=16