How Do You Find the Axis of Symmetry for a Quadratic Function?

Note:

The axis of symmetry is the vertical line that goes through the vertex of a quadratic equation. There's even a formula to help find it! In this tutorial, you'll see how to find the axis of symmetry for a given quadratic equation.

Keywords:

problem
skill
axis of symmetry
line
equation
parabola
quadratic function

Background Tutorials

Multiplying Real Numbers
- How Do You Multiply and Divide Numbers with Different Signs?
  
  A positive times a positive is a positive. A negative times a negative is a positive. What about a negative times a positive? This tutorial gives you the answer by showing you how multiply (and divide!) with mixed signs.
Horizontal and Vertical Lines
- What Are Vertical Lines?
  
  You may be able to guess that vertical lines are lines that go straight up and down, but did you know that all vertical lines have the same slope? In this tutorial, learn all about vertical lines including their slope and what the equation of a vertical line looks like!
Graphs of Quadratic Functions
- What is the Axis of Symmetry of a Quadratic Function?
  
  Ever notice that the left side of the graph of a quadratic equation looks a lot like the right side of the graph? In fact, these sides are just mirror images of each other! If you were to cut a quadratic equation graph vertically in half at the vertex, you would get these symmetrical sides. That vertical line that you cut has a special name. It's called the axis of symmetry. To learn about the axis of symmetry, watch this tutorial!
- What is a Parabola?
  
  If you graph a linear function, you get a line. If you graph a quadratic function, you get something called a parabola. A parabola tends to look like a smile or a frown, depending on the function. Check out this tutorial and learn about parabolas!