Answer:
a = -5, opens down
Step-by-step explanation:
The general form of the quadratic equation is:
f(x) = a(x-h)² + k where (h,k) is the vertex of the parabola.
The value of the "a" determines whether the parabola is open upwards or downwards:
1- if the value of "a" is positive, this means that parabola opens upwards
2- if the value of "a" is negative, this means that the parabola opens downwards
Now, for the given:
f(x) = -5(x+7)² + 6
By comparison, we can note that:
a = -5
The value of "a" is negative which means that the parabola opens down.
The attached image shows the graph of the given function
Hope this helps :)