Posted by Joel on November 03, 2002 at 23:27:30:
In Reply to: Exponents Question posted by Steve Jones on November 03, 2002 at 20:45:12:
: I understand that one evaluates an expression like (3a)^2 by distributing the exponents to each factor, my question is wheather one does the same thing when you have two terms inside the parentesis like, (3 + a)^2? This same question applies to similar variations like, (2 + a^2)^2. TIA for any input.
: Regards,
: Steve
NO!! If there are two (or more) terms inside the parentheses, you can't just "distribute" the exponent. You have to multiply out the whole thing. To use your example:
(3 + a)^2 = (3 + a)*(3 + a) = 9 + 6a + a^2.