Consider the expression .
Complete 2 descriptions of the parts of
the expression.

1. The entire expression is a sum with
2. The coefficients are .

The entire expression is a sum with three distinct components: a quadratic term , a linear term , and a constant term . Each part plays a role: the quadratic term dictates the parabolic shape of the graph, the linear term adds a slope, and the constant term shifts the graph upward on the y-axis.

The coefficients are for the quadratic term, for the linear term, and for the constant term. The coefficient of influences how “wide” or “narrow” the parabola is, while the coefficient of affects the slope of the line, and the constant establishes the starting point on the y-axis.