A parabola opens down if the value of:
a) a
b) b
c) c

_____ is negative in the general form of the equation.

Question

A parabola opens down if the value of:
a) a
b) b
c) c

_____ is negative in the general form of the equation.

anonymous · Answer

what is a, b ,c ?

anonymous · Answer

This is the question: A parabola opens down if the value of _________ is negative in the general form of the equation. 
options:
a, b, or c

anonymous · Answer

ahhh ok so the general equation of a parabola is y=ax^2 + bx + c. So ignoring bx +c lets just look at ax^2. When you put numbers in for x, no matter what you put it will be positive. So you get a parabola. BUT when you put (a) in as a negative integer, all your values for x^2 will end up negative, giving you a downwards parabola.