Features of a parabola from its graph or its equation
Grade 9 Math Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.
Noah tosses a water balloon up. Its height is y = -5t² + 10t + 3 after t seconds, with y in meters. What is its greatest height, in meters?
Pia's toy frog hops. Its height is y = -x² + 10x at x cm from the start, with y in cm (it lands on a cushion). What is its greatest height, in centimeters?
Ren's swing seat is y = x² - 6x + 14 above the ground at x across, all in decimeters. What is its lowest height, in decimeters?
Read this first
Use the table
input x output y 0 1 1 16 2 21 3 16 4 1 Tala kicks a ball up. The table gives its height in meters after x seconds. What does the vertex of this graph tell you?
- The ball lands after 2 seconds.
- The ball is highest, 2 m, after 21 seconds.
- The ball is highest, 21 m, after 2 seconds.
- The ball starts at 21 m.
Zee's toy car rolls through a dip in its track. The table gives its height in cm after x seconds. What does the vertex of this graph tell you?
- The car is lowest, 2 cm, after 3 seconds.
- The car is lowest, 3 cm, after 2 seconds.
- The car starts at 2 cm.
- The car touches the ground after 3 seconds.
Ari measures a fountain's arc. The table gives the water's height in feet, x feet from the spout. What does the vertex of this graph tell you?
- The water is highest, 9 feet, 3 feet from the spout.
- The water lands 3 feet from the spout.
- The water starts at 9 feet.
- The water is highest, 3 feet, 9 feet from the spout.
Bo's kite dips in the wind, then rises. The table gives its height in meters after x minutes. What does the vertex of this graph tell you?
- The kite touches the ground after 2 minutes.
- The kite starts at 5 m.
- The kite is lowest, 2 m, after 5 minutes.
- The kite is lowest, 5 m, after 2 minutes.
Jun's table for a map valley has the rows -6 | 7 and 2 | 7. Where is the axis of symmetry? Write the number after x =.
Kira's table for a rainbow arc has the rows 1 | 10 and 8 | 10 (the middle rows washed out). Where is the axis of symmetry? Write the number after x =.
Luz's table for a bowl has the rows -7 | -11 and -1 | -11. Where is the axis of symmetry? Write the number after x =.