Chapter 5: Problem 29
\((3 a)^{2}\)
Short Answer
Expert verified
The result is \( 9a^2 \).
Step by step solution
01
- Identify the Expression
The given expression is \( (3a)^2 \). This means that we need to square the entire term inside the parentheses.
02
- Apply the Power Rule
Using the Power Rule of exponents, \( (xy)^n = x^n \times y^n \), apply the exponent to both the constant and the variable inside the parentheses. Here, \( x = 3 \) and \( y = a \), and \( n = 2 \).
03
- Square the Constant
Square the constant 3: \( 3^2 = 9 \).
04
- Square the Variable
Square the variable \( a \: \: a^2 \).
05
- Combine the Results
The squared constant and squared variable are combined back together to give the final expression: \( 9a^2 \).
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Power Rule
In algebra, the Power Rule is a fundamental principle for simplifying expressions involving exponents. The rule states that \( (xy)^n = x^n \times y^n \). This means when you raise a product inside parentheses to a power, you apply the exponent to each factor in the product separately.
- For example, in the expression \( (3a)^2 \), both the constant 3 and the variable \(a\) are raised to the power of 2.
- When applying the Power Rule to \( (3a)^2 \), it becomes \( 3^2 \times a^2 \).
Squaring
Squaring is the process of multiplying a number by itself. This operation is denoted by raising the number to the power of 2.
- For constants, squaring involves simple arithmetic. For instance, \( 3^2 = 3 \times 3 = 9 \).
- For variables, squaring follows the same principle. For example, the square of \(a\) is \(a^2\).
- The constant 3 is squared to get 9.
- The variable \(a\) is squared to get \(a^2\).
Combining Terms
After applying the Power Rule and squaring each part of an expression, the next step is to combine the results.
- With the expression \((3a)^2\), you first square the constant (3) to get 9.
- Then, you square the variable \(a\) to get \(a^2\).
- You multiply the squared constant (9) by the squared variable \(a^2\).
- This gives you the expression \(9a^2\).