Consider the equation y = (x + 2)2 – 3. What is the length of the focal width of the parabola?
Answer
A
1 unit
B
4 units
C
12 units
D
16 units
Explanation
Rewrite the equation as (x + 2)² = y + 3. Comparing with the standard form (x − h)² = 4p(y − k), we get 4p = 1. The focal width is |4p|, so it is 1 unit, which is choice A.
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