To find the coordinates of the vertex, which is an absolute minimum point, use the CALC minimum command (to find a vertex that is a maximum point use CALC maximum). You will need to answer three similar questions during this process. To set the Left Bound, enter any value of x near but a little to the left of the vertex. The Right Bound can be any value of x near but a little to the right of the vertex. For the Guess, use a value of x that is close to the vertex itself.
We used a left bound of -6, a right bound of -1, and a guess of -4. After rounding, the
vertex is (-3.5, -3). The coordinates of the vertex allow us to determine the range of
the function, which is |
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6 
. The
function is decreasing on the interval 
and increasing on 
.
