Unit 4
Introduction to Quadratic Functions
Unit Narrative
Prior to this unit, students have studied what it means for a relationship to be a function, used function notation, and investigated linear and exponential functions. In this unit, they look at some patterns that grow quadratically and contrast this growth with linear and exponential growth. They further observe that eventually these quadratic patterns grow more quickly than do linear patterns but more slowly than exponential patterns grow.
Students examine the important example of free-falling objects whose height over time can be modeled with quadratic functions. They use tables, graphs,...