Question

Which way does the parabola open​

Answer 1

Answer:

our parabola open downward and therefore a is negative

Explanation:

As value of a changes from positive to negative or from negative to positive, the direction of opening changes.  For  negative values of a we got negative parabolas that open downward.  As the original formula y = x^2 we see that x^2 will always be positive because when you square a number it always gives positive value. Therefore  the direction for which it will open, depends on  value of a.

Answer 2

Answer:

D. Down

Step-by-step explanation:

The given equation is

$y=ax^2$

This is a parabola whose axis of symmetry is the y-axis.

If $a$ is negative, the parabola opens down.

If $a$ is positive, the parabola opens up.