Question

y = -x2 - 4x - 1 Step 2: Find the vertex. Identify whether it's a minimum or maximum value x = b/ 2a-2. 3) minimum value (-2. 3) maximum value (-4. 3) minimum value (-4. 3) maximum value

Answer 1

The vertex for a quadratic equation of the form

`y=ax^2+bx+c`

is given by

`x=-(b)/(2a)`

In our case, b = -4 and a = -1; therefore,

`x=-(-4)/(2(-1))=-2`
`x=-2`

this is the x-coordinate of the vertex, the y-coordinate is

`\begin{gathered} y=-(-2)^2-4(-2)-1 \\ y=3 \end{gathered}`

Hence, the coordinates of the vertex are

`(-2,3)`

And since we have a negative sign on x^2, the parabola is concave down; therefore, the vertex is the maximum value.

The correct choice, therefore, is (-2, 3) maximum value