Square of a Binomial
The square of a binomial means multiplying a bracket by itself, giving (a + b)² = a² + 2ab + b². The middle 2ab appears because the product ab turns up twice. The difference of squares rule gives (a + b)(a − b) = a² − b².

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Squaring a Binomial: Where the Formula Comes From
- Squaring a binomial means multiplying it by itself, like .
- The middle term appears twice, which is why we get .
Squaring a Binomial: See It Visually
- The square splits into four parts showing , , and two rectangles.
- Adding the areas gives .
The 3 Key Formulas
- .
- .
- .
Using : Example
- Identify a and b including their signs, for example in we have and .
- Work out squares first, then add the end term to get .
Using : Example
- Identify a and b including the minus sign, for example in we have and .
- Work out squares first, then subtract the end term to get .
Using : Example
- Check the brackets use the same terms with different signs, for example .
- Square both terms and subtract to get .
Practice Questions
Test your understanding
Simplify .
Correct! 🎉 +10 pointsNot quite right
First, apply the formula . Here, and . First, square x to get . Then, multiply x by 3 and double it to get . Finally, square 3 to get 9. When you combine all of these terms, you get .
Simplify .
Correct! 🎉 +10 pointsNot quite right
First, apply the formula . Here, and . First, square x to get . Then, multiply x by 4 and double it to get . Finally, square 4 to get 16. When you combine all of these terms, you get .
Simplify .
Correct! 🎉 +20 pointsNot quite right
First, apply the formula . Here, and . First, square to get . Then, multiply by 5 and double the result to get . Finally, square 5 to get 25. When you combine all of these terms, you get .
Simplify .
Correct! 🎉 +20 pointsNot quite right
First, apply the formula . Here, and . First, square to get . Then, multiply by 7 and double the result to get . Finally, square 7 to get 49. When you combine all of these terms, you get .
Simplify .
Correct! 🎉 +20 pointsNot quite right
First, apply the formula . Here, and . First, square to get . Then, square 5 to get 25. The correct simplified form is .
Simplify .
Correct! 🎉 +30 pointsNot quite right
First, apply the formula . Here, and . First, square to get . Then, multiply by and double the result to get . Finally, square to get . When you combine all of these terms, you get .
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Students Also Ask
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The square of a binomial uses the formula (a + b)² = a² + 2ab + b². You square the first term, add twice the product of both terms, then add the square of the second term. For a subtraction, the formula is (a - b)² = a² - 2ab + b².
The middle term appears because multiplying (a + b) by (a + b) produces the product ab twice. Adding these two equal products gives 2ab, the middle term. This is why squaring a binomial expands to three terms rather than just two.
Only the middle sign changes. Squaring a sum gives a² + 2ab + b², while squaring a difference gives a² - 2ab + b². The first and last terms stay positive in both cases, because squaring any term gives a positive result.
Look at the sign between the two terms. A plus sign means you use (a + b)² = a² + 2ab + b². A minus sign means you use (a - b)² = a² - 2ab + b². When one bracket adds and the other subtracts the same terms, use a² - b².
The difference of two squares has no middle term because the two middle products cancel out. Multiplying (a + b) by (a - b) gives +ab and -ab, which add to zero. This leaves only the first square minus the second square, a² - b².