Final answer:
To find the vertex of a quadratic function, calculate the x-coordinate using -b/(2a) from the standard equation form ax²+bx+c=0, and then substitute this x-value into the function to obtain the y-coordinate.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the vertex of a quadratic function, we can use the standard form of a quadratic equation, which is ax²+bx+c = 0. For a function in this form, the x-coordinate of the vertex is found using the formula -b/(2a), and once we have the x-coordinate, we can substitute it back into the original quadratic function to find the corresponding y-coordinate.
For example, if we have a quadratic function f(x) = 4.90x² - 14.3x - 20.0, the x-coordinate of the vertex would be -(-14.3)/(2*4.90). This gives us approximately 1.458. We would then substitute x = 1.458 back into the function to get the y-coordinate, completing the coordinates of the vertex.