Remark Graph the two equations. The purple graph is y = x^2 The black graph is y = (x - 4)^2
Rule 1. When a constant is inside the brackets, the graph moves left or right. To tell which use the second part of the rule. 2. use y = (x + a)^2 as your example. if a > 0 the graph moves left. if a < 0 then graph moves right. Just the opposite of what you would expect.