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A parabola has an axis of symmetry at x = 5/12. The distance between its roots is 13/6. What is the equation of the parabola?

User Aydinozkan
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Answer:

The axis of symmetry of a parabola is the line that divides the parabola into two mirror images. This line always passes through the vertex of the parabola. For a parabola with an axis of symmetry at x = 5/12, the vertex of the parabola is at the point (5/12, 0).

The distance between the roots of a parabola is the distance between the x-coordinates of the two points where the parabola crosses the x-axis. In this case, the distance between the roots is 13/6.

To find the equation of the parabola, we can use the vertex form of the equation, which is given by y = a(x - h)^2 + k, where (h, k) is the coordinates of the vertex and a is a constant. In this case, the coordinates of the vertex are (5/12, 0) and the constant a can be determined using the distance between the roots.

To find a, we can use the fact that the distance between the roots of a parabola is equal to the square root of the product of the coefficients of the quadratic terms in the equation. In the vertex form, the coefficient of the x^2 term is a, so we can set up the following equation to find a:

(13/6)^2 = a * (5/12)^2

Solving for a, we find that a = -1/3.

Therefore, the equation of the parabola is y = -1/3(x - 5/12)^2.

User Vaquar Khan
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