Comets Have Elliptical Orbits, but the Orbits of Some Comets $y = a x ^ { 2 } + b x + c$

question 183

Multiple Choice

Comets have elliptical orbits, but the orbits of some comets are so vast that they are indistinguishable from parabolas. Find an equation of the form $y = a x ^ { 2 } + b x + c$ for the parabola that closely describes the orbit of the comet shown in the illustration.

• A) \(y = - \frac { 1 } { 2 } x ^ { 2 } - x - \frac { 9 } { 2 }\)
• B) \(y = \frac { 1 } { 2 } x ^ { 2 } - x - \frac { 9 } { 2 }\)
• C) \(y = - \frac { 1 } { 2 } x ^ { 2 } - x + \frac { 9 } { 2 }\)
• D) \(y = \frac { 1 } { 2 } x ^ { 2 } + x - \frac { 9 } { 2 }\)
• E) \(y = \frac { 1 } { 2 } x ^ { 2 } + x + \frac { 9 } { 2 }\)

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