1Cademy - Quadratic Function

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Polynomial Function

Definition

Quadratic Function

A quadratic function is a polynomial function of the form $f(x) = ax^2 + bx + c$ , where $a$ , $b$ , and $c$ are real numbers and $a \neq 0$ . The requirement that $a \neq 0$ is essential because without the squared term, the function would be linear rather than quadratic. The defining expression $ax^2 + bx + c$ is a degree-two polynomial, making a quadratic function a special case of a polynomial function in which the highest power of the variable is exactly two.