Answer:
The sign of the coefficient determines the direction of where the graph opens.
Step-by-step explanation:
Given the quadratic equation, y = ax²:
The sign of the coefficient, a, affects the graph of the curve as it determines the direction of where the graph opens.
Please see the attached screenshots of the graphed equations (y = -x², and y = x²), to show the effects of changing the sign of a quadratic equation's coefficient.