How to Graph a Quadratic Equation

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams. Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University.

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When graphed, quadratic equations of the form ax 2 + bx + c or a(x - h) 2 + k give a smooth U-shaped or a reverse U-shaped curve called a parabola. [1] X Expert Source

Jake Adams
Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist Expert Interview. 20 May 2020. Graphing a quadratic equation is a matter of finding its vertex, direction, and, often, its x and y intercepts. In the cases of relatively simple quadratic equations, it may also be enough to plug in a range of x values and plot a curve based on the resulting points. See Step 1 below to get started.