Quadratic Functions Part 1

The applet below has the graph of y=x^2, as well as y=ax^2. You can change the value of a, by moving the slider. Move the slider a, and see how the graph changes. Then, answer the questions below in your notebook.
Question 1: How does "a" affect how the graph of y=ax^2 "opens"? Question 2: How does "a" affect the shape of the graph? Be careful about positive and negative values for "a"!