Question

Explain why the condition a=/ 0 must be stated to ensure that y = ax2 + bx + c is a quadratic relation.

Answer 1

a = 0 makes the equation a linear equation, not quadratic

Explanation:

A polynomial expression is quadratic if and only if its highest degree is 2. If the coefficient of the squared term is zero, then the polynomial does not contain a term of degree 2, so is not a quadratic. The coefficient of the squared term must be non-zero.