Final answer:
To find the vertex of an absolute value function, set the inside expression equal to zero to find the x-coordinate and substitute it back into the function to find the y-coordinate. The correct answer is b) Set the inside expression equal to zero.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the vertex of an absolute value function, you can use the formula -b/(2a) from the options provided. The vertex form of an absolute value function is f(x) = a|x - h| + k, where (h, k) represents the vertex of the graph. In this form, the value of h is obtained by setting the inside expression equal to zero.
So, out of the given options, b) Set the inside expression equal to zero is the correct way to find the x-coordinate of the vertex. Let's go through an example:
Example:
Consider the absolute value function f(x) = |x + 2| + 3. To find the vertex, set the inside expression, x + 2, equal to zero: x + 2 = 0. Solving this equation gives x = -2. So the x-coordinate of the vertex is -2.
To find the y-coordinate, substitute this value back into the function: f(-2) = |-2 + 2| + 3 = 3. Therefore, the vertex of the absolute value function is (-2, 3).