A Quadratic
function is a polynomial function in which the highest power of
the variable is 2.
For example,
x __> x2 - 4x + 3 and
t __> 6t2 + 3t - 1 are quadratic functions.
The most general
form of a quadratic function is x __> ax2 + bx + c, where a, b and c
are constants. A term like x2 is called a square in algebra because
it is the area of a square with side x.
In general, a prefix quadr(i) -
indicates the number 4. Examples are quadrilateral and quadrant.
Quadratum is the Latin word for square because a square has four
sides.
