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Does -20^2 equal (-20)^2
 Sep 30, 2013
 #1
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That is a hairy question
The calculator treats -20 as -1*20
so -20^2 becomes -1 * 20^2 = -400
If you want to square a negative number it is better just to use brackets and that will overcome all confusion.
of course, (-20)^2 = 400
 Sep 30, 2013

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