Question: what does a represent in standard form of a quadratic function?
Answer: Standard Form. ... The quadratic function f(x) = a(x - h)2 + k, a not equal to zero, is said to be in standard form. If a is positive, the graph opens upward, and if a is negative, then it opens downward. The line of symmetry is the vertical line x = h, and the vertex is the point (h,k).