The expression (- 4)^2, or - 4 to the second power, can be written as the product of two - 4 terms. Keep in mind that when we multiply two negative numbers, we get a positivenumber.
(- a)(- a) = a* aThis means that any real negative number raised to an even power will give us a positive result.
We can also multiply this using a calculator. There are two possible ways that we can enter this into our calculator. Both expressions will give us the same answer.
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More About Properties of Numbers
If you are interested in learning more about the various Properties of Numbers, please check out our related original course material!
Knowing the rules for correctly manipulating mathematical expressions can help you rewrite those expressions in ways that can be easier to use, reduce, type into a calculator, or solve a complicated equation.
