Unless the operands form an arithmetic sequence, it is not at all simple. That means the difference between successive points must be the same.
If that is the case and the SECOND difference in the results is constant then you have a quadratic.
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The quadratic (parabola) intercepts the x-axis when y = 0. So substitute y=0 into y = f(x). Then you can solve for the x-values by any number of ways: Factoring, completing the square, or Quadratic Formula. It may turn out that the values of x which satisfies y=0 are complex {have an imaginary component}, which will tell you that the parabola does not have an x-intercept.
Roots, zeroes, and x values are 3 other names for solutions of a quadratic equation.
y = x This is a line and a function. Function values are y values.
It will touch it at exactly 1 point. If a quadratic function is given as f(x) = ax2 + bx + c, let the discriminant be denoted as D. Then the graph of y = f(x) will cross the x-axis at the x-values x = (-b + sqrt(D))/(2a) and x = (-b - sqrt(D))/(2a). When the discriminant D = 0, these 2 x-values are actually the same. Thus the graph will touch the x-axis only once.
A vertical line test can be used to determine whether a graph is a function or not. If a vertical line intersects the graph more than once, then the graph is not a function.