SOLUTION: If a and b are real numbers and a2 = b2, does a = b? can this be explained to me?

SOLUTION: If a and b are real numbers and a2 = b2, does a = b? can this be explained to me?

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Question 135723: If a and b are real numbers and a2 = b2, does a = b? can this be explained to me?

Answer by ptaylor(2198) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
or
and this can be factored

and

When we are dealing with squares and square roots, we cannot afford to forget the plus or minus characteristics
-2 does not equal +2 but (-2)^2 does equal (+2)^2
Hope this helps---ptaylor

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