vertices

(noun)

A turning point in a curved function. Every hyperbola has two vertices.

Related Terms

  • ellipse
  • hyperbola
  • focal point

Examples of vertices in the following topics:

  • The Vertical Line Test

    • The vertical line test is used to determine whether a curve on an $xy$-plane is a function
    • If, alternatively, a vertical line intersects the graph no more than once, no matter where the vertical line is placed, then the graph is the graph of a function.
    • The vertical line test demonstrates that a circle is not a function.
    • Thus, it fails the vertical line test and does not represent a function.
    • Any vertical line in the bottom graph passes through only once and hence passes the vertical line test, and thus represents a function.
  • Stretching and Shrinking

    • First, let's talk about vertical scaling.  
    • This leads to a "stretched" appearance in the vertical direction.
    • In general, the equation for vertical scaling is:
    • If $b$ is greater than one the function will undergo vertical stretching, and if $b$ is less than one the function will undergo vertical shrinking.
    • If we want to vertically stretch the function by a factor of three, then the new function becomes:
  • Parts of a Hyperbola

    • The vertices have coordinates $(h + a,k)$ and $(h-a,k)$.
    • The line connecting the vertices is called the transverse axis.
    • The major and minor axes $a$ and $b$, as the vertices and co-vertices, determine a rectangle that shares the same center as the hyperbola and has dimensions $2a \times 2b$.
    • The rectangle itself is also useful in drawing the hyperbola graph by hand, as it contains the vertices.
    • The vertices have coordinates $(h+\sqrt{2m},k+\sqrt{2m})$ and $(h-\sqrt{2m},k-\sqrt{2m})$.
  • Asymptotes

    • There are three kinds of asymptotes: horizontal, vertical and oblique.
    • Vertical asymptotes are vertical lines near which the function grows without bound.
    • The $y$-axis is a vertical asymptote of the curve.
    • Vertical asymptotes occur only when the denominator is zero.
    • Therefore, a vertical asymptote exists at $x=1$.
  • Translations

    • In algebra, this essentially manifests as a vertical or horizontal shift of a function.
    • To translate a function vertically is to shift the function up or down.
    • In general, a vertical translation is given by the equation:
    • Let's use a basic quadratic function to explore vertical translations.
    • While vertical shifts are caused by adding or subtracting a value outside of the function parameters, horizontal shifts are caused by adding or subtracting a value inside the function parameters.  
  • Parts of an Ellipse

    • if the ellipse is oriented vertically.
    • For a vertical ellipse, the association is reversed.
    • Its endpoints are the major axis vertices, with coordinates $(h \pm a, k)$.
    • Its endpoints are the minor axis vertices, with coordinates $(h, k \pm b)$.
    • This diagram of a horizontal ellipse shows the ellipse itself in red, the center $C$ at the origin, the focal points at $\left(+f,0\right)$ and $\left(-f,0\right)$, the major axis vertices at $\left(+a,0\right)$ and $\left(-a,0\right)$, the minor axis vertices at $\left(0,+b\right)$ and $\left(0,-b\right)$.
  • Reflections

    • A vertical reflection is a reflection across the $x$-axis, given by the equation:
  • What is a Linear Function?

    • Vertical lines have an undefined slope, and cannot be represented in the form $y=mx+b$, but instead as an equation of the form $x=c$ for a constant $c$, because the vertical line intersects a value on the $x$-axis, $c$.  
    • Vertical lines are NOT functions, however, since each input is related to more than one output.
  • Linear Equations and Their Applications

    • where v and h respectively represent the length in feet of vertical and horizontal sections of wood.
    • N and M represent the number of vertical and horizontal pieces, respectively.
    • Knowing that there will be only two vertical pieces, this formula can be simplified to:
  • Symmetry of Functions

    • The image below shows an example of a function and its symmetry over the $x$-axis (vertical reflection) and over the $y$-axis (horizontal reflection).  
    • A function can have symmetry by reflecting its graph horizontally or vertically.  
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