Question

How do you graph `y = x^2 - 4`?

Answer 1

Parent function shifted down 4.

Explanation:

The parent function is:

`y=x^2`

graph{x^2 [-10, 10, -5, 5]}

The shift is as follows:

`y = a(x-h)^2 + k`

a = stretch
h = horizontal shift
k vertical shift

your function is:

`y = x^2 - 4`

`a = 1`, no stretch

`h=0`, no horizontal shift

`k=-4`, shifted down 4 units, here is the adjusted graph:

graph{x^2 -4 [-10, 10, -5, 5]}