Key Idea: Standard Quadratic Form

The standard form of a quadratic function is:

y=ax^2+bx+c

General Rule:

• $a$, $b$, and $c$ are coefficients used in the quadratic formula:

x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 – 4ac}}{2a}​​

• c represents the y-intercept of the parabola.

• $a$ determines the direction of the parabola (upward if a>0, downward if a<0).

Why this matters for the SAT:

Standard form is commonly used to solve quadratic equations and identify key features like y-intercept and coefficients for the quadratic formula.
It’s essential for graphing and algebra problems involving quadratics.