Opens up or down? Compressed or stretched vertically?

The parabola opens upwards and is compressed vertically.

To determine the direction of the parabola and if it is compressed or stretched vertically, let's consider the equation in vertex form:

y = a(x - h)^2 + k

In this equation, the vertex is represented by the values (h, k).

For the given equation y = x^2, we can see that a = 1, h = 0, and k = 0 as there are no coefficients or constants attached to x^2 term.

1. Direction: Since the coefficient a is positive (a = 1), the parabola opens upwards.

2. Compression or Stretch: In this case, since the coefficient a = 1, there is no compression or stretching vertically. The parabola maintains its natural shape.

So, the parabola opens upwards and is not compressed or stretched vertically.