Question

What is the vertex of the parabola `y= x^2 - 5x - 4`?

Answer 1

`y = (x - 5/2)^2 - 41/4`

Explanation:

`y = x^2 - 5x - 4`
x-coordinate of vertex:
`x = -b/(2a) = 5/2`
y-coordinate of vertex:
`y(5/2) = 25/4 - 25/2 - 4 = - 25/4 - 16/4 = - 41/4`
Vertex form:
`y = (x - 5/2)^2 - 41/4`