Heather is writing a quadratic function that represents a parabola that touches but does not cross the x -axis at x is equal to negative 6 Which function could Heather be writing?

A parabola that touches the x-axis at x = −6 has a double root there, so its function must be a nonzero multiple of (x + 6)². Choice A is −x² − 12x − 36 = −(x + 6)², which equals zero only at x = −6 and does not cross the x-axis there.

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