Question

Difficulty: MediumQuadratic Functions and Graphs

In the xyxy-plane, the graph of the quadratic function ff is defined by f(x)=x2+6x5f(x) = -x^2 + 6x - 5. If the graph of ff is translated 22 units to the right and 44 units up to form the graph of a new function gg, what is the maximum value of gg?

  1. A
    0
  2. B
    5
  3. 8Answer
  4. D
    10

Answer

8
The maximum value of the quadratic function is the y-coordinate of its vertex. For f(x)=x2+6x5f(x) = -x^2 + 6x - 5, the vertex occurs at x=62(1)=3x = -\frac{6}{2(-1)} = 3. Evaluating f(3)f(3) yields 9+185=4-9 + 18 - 5 = 4, which is the maximum value of ff. Translating the graph 22 units to the right shifts the vertex horizontally to x=5x = 5 but does not change the maximum height. Translating the graph 44 units up increases the y-coordinate of the vertex by 44, resulting in a new maximum value of 4+4=84 + 4 = 8.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Find the x-coordinate of the vertex of the function f(x)=x2+6x5f(x) = -x^2 + 6x - 5.
x=3x = 3
The x-coordinate of the vertex of a quadratic function in the standard form y=ax2+bx+cy = ax^2 + bx + c is given by x=b2ax = -\frac{b}{2a}. For f(x)f(x), we have a=1a = -1 and b=6b = 6, so x=62(1)=3x = -\frac{6}{2(-1)} = 3.
2
Calculate the maximum value of f(x)f(x) by finding the y-coordinate of its vertex.
f(3)=4f(3) = 4
Substitute x=3x = 3 into the function: f(3)=(3)2+6(3)5=9+185=4f(3) = -(3)^2 + 6(3) - 5 = -9 + 18 - 5 = 4. Since the coefficient of x2x^2 is negative, the parabola opens downward, meaning the vertex represents the maximum value.
3
Apply the vertical translation to find the maximum value of the new function g(x)g(x).
Maximum value of gg is 88
Translating the graph 22 units to the right shifts the vertex horizontally but does not affect the vertical maximum value. Translating the graph 44 units up increases the maximum value by 44. Thus, the new maximum value is 4+4=84 + 4 = 8.

Key Concept

Determining the maximum value of a quadratic function and applying translations to its graph.
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