Associated Topics || Dr. Math Home || Search Dr. Math

### Parabola Given Three Points

Date: 03/27/2002 at 23:15:10
From: Samuel Burke
Subject: How do you find the equation for a parabola given three
points on it?

Dear Dr. Math,

How can I find the equation for a parabola given three points on it? I
have no idea where to start. Help me!

Date: 03/28/2002 at 08:54:23
From: Doctor Rick
Subject: Re: How do you find the equation for a parabola given three
points on it?

Hi, Samuel.

This problem can be a bit tricky to understand because it involves a

You know that the parabola must have the form

y = ax^2 + bx + c

What you need to find out is the values of the "constants" a, b,
and c. Because you don't know them yet, you need to treat a, b, and c
as variables.

What DO you know? You know three points (x,y) on the parabola. Let's
say one of these points is (2,3). Then you can plug these values into
the general equation for the parabola:

3 = a*2^2 + b*2 + c

3 = 4a + 2b + c

We have made the "variables" x and y into constants. Now, if you do
the same thing with the other two points on the parabola, you'll have
three linear equations in three unknowns. Do you know what to do with
them?

- Doctor Rick, The Math Forum
http://mathforum.org/dr.math/

Associated Topics:
High School Conic Sections/Circles
High School Geometry

Search the Dr. Math Library:

 Find items containing (put spaces between keywords):   Click only once for faster results: [ Choose "whole words" when searching for a word like age.] all keywords, in any order at least one, that exact phrase parts of words whole words

Submit your own question to Dr. Math
Math Forum Home || Math Library || Quick Reference || Math Forum Search
{"found_math": false, "script_math_tex": 0, "script_math_asciimath": 0, "math_annotations": 0, "math_alttext": 0, "mathml": 0, "mathjax_tag": 0, "mathjax_inline_tex": 0, "mathjax_display_tex": 0, "mathjax_asciimath": 0, "img_math": 0, "codecogs_latex": 0, "wp_latex": 0, "mimetex.cgi": 0, "/images/math/codecogs": 0, "mathtex.cgi": 0, "katex": 0, "math-container": 0, "wp-katex-eq": 0, "align": 0, "equation": 0, "x-ck12": 0, "texerror": 0}