Graphing parabolas worksheet
A parabola opens towards whichever variable is not squared. Square the x and it opens up or down; square the y and it opens left or right. The sign in front says which of the two.
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Pick more than one for a sheet that mixes them.
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Sigma Prep · sigmaprep.io/worksheets Name Graphing ParabolasDate Period Graph each equation.
Free math worksheets at sigmaprep.io/worksheets© 2026 Sigma Prep |
Sigma Prep · sigmaprep.io/worksheets Name Graphing ParabolasAnswer keyVersion 1Date Period Graph each equation.
Free math worksheets at sigmaprep.io/worksheets© 2026 Sigma Prep |
How to do these
Graph
- The y is squared, so this one opens sideways.
- The vertex is at (3, 1).
- The coefficient is negative, so it opens left.
The answer is Vertex , opens left.
Where students go wrong
Reading a sideways parabola as an upright one. If the y is squared then x is the subject, and the vertex is written (x, y) with the constant first. The other slip is the sign of the shift inside the bracket.
Also called plotting parabolas, parabola graphs or sideways parabolas.