Cubic Functions Here is the simplest cubic function: y = x3 Notice how it curves to change direction, right in the center. Can you predict what the absolute value of this function will look like? Remember that all the values below the X axis will end up above it. Scroll down to test your prediction. Here is the graph of the function: y = |x3| Was your prediction correct? By the way, you might be wondering how this graph is different than a parabola. They do look very similar. But no quadratic function (with an x2) that is a parabola, will result in a graph with precisely this curvature, even though it might look the same. ... now let's look at our last example, a reciprocal function Main Page