Complete the square to determine the vertex and axis of symmetry for y = -x^2 + 8x + 7. Simplify.

1 answer

To complete the square for the quadratic equation \( y = -x^2 + 8x + 7 \), we can follow these steps.

  1. Factor out the coefficient of \( x^2 \) (which is -1) from the first two terms:

    \[ y = -(x^2 - 8x) + 7 \]

  2. Complete the square inside the parentheses. To do this, we take the coefficient of \( x \) (which is -8), divide it by 2, and square it.

    \[ \left( \frac{-8}{2} \right)^2 = 16 \]

  3. Add and subtract this square inside the parentheses:

    \[ y = -\left(x^2 - 8x + 16 - 16\right) + 7 \]

    Simplifying this gives:

    \[ y = -\left((x - 4)^2 - 16\right) + 7 \]

  4. Distribute the negative sign and simplify:

    \[ y = -(x - 4)^2 + 16 + 7 \] \[ y = -(x - 4)^2 + 23 \]

Now we have the equation in vertex form \( y = a(x - h)^2 + k \), where \( (h, k) \) is the vertex of the parabola.

  1. Identify the vertex and axis of symmetry:

    • The vertex \( (h, k) \) is \( (4, 23) \).
    • The axis of symmetry is the line \( x = h \), which is \( x = 4 \).

Final Results:

  • Vertex: \( (4, 23) \)
  • Axis of Symmetry: \( x = 4 \)