Q. What is the focus of the parabola y=−x2?Simplify any fractions.(_____ , _____)
Equation of the Parabola: We have the equation of the parabola: y=−x2. This is a vertical parabola that opens downwards because the coefficient of x2 is negative.
Standard Form of a Vertical Parabola: The standard form of a vertical parabola is y=a(x−h)2+k, where (h,k) is the vertex of the parabola. In our case, the equation y=−x2 can be rewritten as y=−1(x−0)2+0, which means that a=−1, h=0, and k=0.
Calculating the Focus: The focus of a parabola is located at (h,k+p), where p is the distance from the vertex to the focus and is calculated by the formula p=4a1. Since a=−1, we can calculate p as follows: p=4(−1)1=−41.
Finding the Focus: Now that we have p=−41, we can find the focus of the parabola. The focus will be at (h,k+p)=(0,0+(−41))=(0,−41).
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