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Nonlinear functions SAT question

Math · Advanced Math · Hard · Answer it here, explanation included.

The table shows three values of and their corresponding values of , where  and is a quadratic function. What is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of  in the xy-plane?

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ExplanationShow

The correct answer is . It's given that is a quadratic function. It follows that can be defined by an equation of the form , where , , and are constants. It's also given that the table shows three values of and their corresponding values of , where . Substituting  for  in this equation yields . This equation represents a quadratic relationship between and , where  is either the maximum or the minimum value of , which occurs when . For quadratic relationships between and , the maximum or minimum value of occurs at the value of halfway between any two values of that have the same corresponding value of . The table shows that x-values of and correspond to the same y-value, . Since is halfway between and , the maximum or minimum value of occurs at an x-value of . The table shows that when , . It follows that and . Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields . Substituting for and for in the equation  yields , or . The value of can be found by substituting any x-value and its corresponding y-value for and , respectively, in this equation. Substituting for and for in this equation yields , or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields , or . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Substituting  for , for , and for in the equation yields . The y-intercept of the graph of  in the xy-plane is the point on the graph where . Substituting for in the equation yields , or . This is equivalent to , so the y-intercept of the graph of  in the xy-plane is . Thus, the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of  in the xy-plane is .

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