Question

How do you sketch the graph of `y=-3x^2` and describe the transformation?

Answer 1

See below.

Explanation:

The parent function:

`y=x^2`

looks like this:

graph{x^2 [-10, 10, -5, 5]}

This function has a negative sign which flips the graph along the x-axis. In other words, the parabola opens downwards. The 3 simply "tightens" the graph. The parabola gets narrower and grows faster.

graph{-3x^2 [-10, 10, -5, 5]}