Analyzing Maximum or Minimum in the Parabola: y = -(x+1)(x-1)

Does the parable

$y=-(x+1)(x-1)$

Is there a minimum or maximum point?

To solve this problem, let's analyze the function step-by-step:

Step 1: Expand the given quadratic function.
The function provided is $y = -(x+1)(x-1)$. We rewrite it by expanding:

$y = -(x^2 - 1) = -x^2 + 1$.

Step 2: Determine the direction of the parabola.
The standard form $y = ax^2 + bx + c$ indicates that the parabola opens upwards if $a > 0$ and downwards if $a < 0$. Here, the value of $a$ is $-1$, which means the parabola opens downwards.

Step 3: Identify the vertex type.
Since the parabola opens downwards, the vertex represents the highest point on the graph, which is a maximum.

Therefore, the parabola has a maximum point. The correct choice is:

$$Choice 2: Highest point$$

Thus, we conclude that the given quadratic function has a maximum point.