Te reo Māori terms
click each term to open in Te AkaLearning objective overview
Master Teaching Guide coverage for this objective.
Resources
- CorbettMaths on drawing a parabolaQuestions PDF · Answers
- Dr Austin Maths - Sketching Quadratic Graphs Practice GridQuestions PDF · Answers
Terminology
- factorised form
- x-intercept
- root
- axis of symmetry
- vertex
- turning point
- y-intercept
Task goals
- Read the two x-intercepts (roots) directly from a parabola given in factorised form y = (x - p)(x - q), including the repeated-root case y = (x - p)^2.
- Find the axis of symmetry of a factorised-form parabola as the midpoint of its two roots, x = (p + q) / 2.
- Find the coordinates of the vertex (turning point) by substituting the axis-of-symmetry x-value back into the equation.
- Find the y-intercept of a factorised-form parabola by substituting x = 0.
- Write a parabola's equation in factorised form given its roots, including a repeated root, and given the axis of symmetry plus one root.
- Explain why the axis of symmetry sits halfway between the roots, and identify or correct a student's sign or axis-of-symmetry error made when reading factorised form.
- Expand a factorised-form equation and compare factorised form with vertex form, describing an advantage or limitation of each.
Teaching guidance
- No resource in Beta textbook.
- A parabola in factorised form y = (x - p)(x - q) has x-intercepts at x = p and x = q, found by setting each bracket to zero.
- The axis of symmetry lies exactly halfway between the two x-intercepts: x = (p + q) / 2. The vertex sits on this axis of symmetry, so substitute its x-value back into the equation to find the y-coordinate of the vertex.
- The y-intercept is found by substituting x = 0, giving y = (-p)(-q) = pq.
- Since a = 1 is positive, the parabola opens upward: sketch the two x-intercepts, the y-intercept, and the vertex (turning point), then draw a smooth upward-opening curve through them.
Key skills
- Parabola factorised form
- Quadratic graphs
- a = 1
- x-intercepts
- Axis of symmetry
- Vertex
Quick stats
- 81 total questions
- 3 difficulty levels
- Answers included




