the vertex, or very bottom point.
I can also be called the maximum or minimum.
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A parabola is NOT a point, it is the whole curve.
A parabola has a single focus point. There is a line running perpendicular to the axis of symmetry of the parabola called the directrix. A line running from the focus to a point on the parabola is going to have the same distance as from the point on the parabola to the closest point of the directrix. In theory you could look at a parabola as being an ellipse with one focus at infinity, but that really doesn't help any. ■
The vertex would be the point where both sides of the parabola meet.
When you look at the parabola if it opens downwards then the parabola has a maximum value (because it is the highest point on the graph) if it opens upward then the parabola has a minimum value (because it's the lowest possible point on the graph)
To find the value of a in a parabola opening up or down subtract the y-value of the parabola at the vertex from the y-value of the point on the parabola that is one unit to the right of the vertex.