document.write( "Question 798861: I am having a bit of trouble with what I think is a fairly basic equation. -4ab*1/2ba^2 (no brackets)
\n" ); document.write( "I am treating ab^2 as axaxbxb so getting the answer -2ab^3. The automatic formula solvers tell me it's actually -2a^3b^2 which I can only assume is because they're attributing the ^2 to a and not b.
\n" ); document.write( "I am confused.
\n" ); document.write( "Please help!
\n" ); document.write( "Thank you
\n" ); document.write( "Jordan \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #482391 by KMST(5328)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
\"ab%5E2=a%2Ab%2Ab\" and
\n" ); document.write( "There is no way ab^2=\"ab%5E2\" could be interpreted as \"a%2Aa%2Ab%2Ab\".
\n" ); document.write( "Without brackets, the ^2 applies only to the variable or number right before it. That would include more than one character only if those characters are forming a single variable or a single number such as the square of the length of segment AB written as AB^2, or the square of 13 written as 13^2=169.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "I like to use brackets when there could be any doubt.
\n" ); document.write( "Some could interpret -4ab*1/2ba^2 as \"-4ab\"\"1%2F%28%222+b%22+a%5E2%29=-4ab%2A1%2F2ba%5E2\".
\n" ); document.write( "If I meant that, I would write it as -4ab*1/(2ba^2).
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\n" ); document.write( "I would interpret -4ab*1/2ba^2 as
\n" ); document.write( "-4 times a, times b, times 1, divided by 2, times b, and times \"a%5E2\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"-4ab%2A1\" ÷ {{2*ba^2=-4ab*1/2}}}\"ba%5E2\"
\n" ); document.write( "The same could be written as
\n" ); document.write( "\"-4ab\"\"1%2F2\"\"ba%5E2=-4ab%281%2F2%29ba%5E2=-4ab%2A0.5ba%5E2=-4%2A0.5%2Aa%2Aa%5E2%2Ab%2Ab=-2a%5E3b%5E2\"\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "I would interpret -4ab*1/2ab^2 as
\n" ); document.write( "-4 times a, times b, times 1, divided by 2, times b, and times \"a%5E2\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"-4ab%2A1\"÷\"2%2Aab%5E2=-4ab%2A1%2F2\"\"ab%5E2\"
\n" ); document.write( "The same could be written as
\n" ); document.write( "\"-4ab\"\"1%2F2\"\"ab%5E2+=-4ab%281%2F2%29ab%5E2=-4ab%2A0.5ab%5E2=-4%2A0.5%2Aa%2Aa%2Ab%2Ab%5E2=-2a%5E2b%5E3\" \n" ); document.write( "
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