Explain how the value of a in the standard form of a quadratic affects the direction and shape of the graph.

Affects the steepness of the graph

Step-by-step explanation:

A quadratic is in the form ax^2 + bx + c and is usually a parabola.

Changing the constant a will influence the gradient of this parabola and will therefore affect how steep it is.

If a is positive, the parabola will have a minimum turning point meaning that it will be facing upwards.

if a is negative, it will have a maximum turning point and face downwards.