Squaring the Binomial

A response to the Misunderstood Activity
created June 5, 2023 by Soobia Siddiqui (@soobia.siddiqui)

Number of views: 76

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Often, students make a common mistake in squaring a binomial where they think the square on the outside of the bracket squares the terms on the inside. I start out by demonstrating this exact mistake (without stating that it’s a mistake) and then ask the class if they think that the process was correct. I then proceed to ask what does “squaring” mean and that helps create the “aha” moment. The hope is that the mistake doesn’t get repeated in the future. 🙂

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Example for "Squaring the Binomial":
https://bank.ecampusontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Squaring-the-Binomial-Misunderstood-Activity.png