I have a new graphic calculator and I'm also reading about the Mandelbrot Set and trying to follow that. I have a basic problem that I'm missing...maybe you can help. All real numbers when squared are positive. When I punch in "-2 x -2" I get "4" as expected. I also have a "power" key on the calculator (looks like an upside down "V") which should do the same thing if I type in "-2" "V" 2 but that give an answer of "-4" I also have a "squared" key that looks like "x2" and that should do the same thing but also gives an answer of "-4" when I type in "-2" "x2" So, the first method gives "4" and the second two both give "-4". Why aren't they all giving "4" as the answer? What am I missing? Thanks
Probably your calculator is interpreting -2^2 as -(2^2), which is -4. Try typing in (-2)^2, with the brackets explicitly put in.
Which it should. Exponentiation has higher precedence than negation. The calculator is correct. Just wanted to note that since this is a common error.
Yeah, calculators are smart these days. It used to be the case that if you typed "2 + 3 times 4" you'd get 20. With newer models, the answer is 14. That is, the calculator evaluates the multiplication before the addition operation, which is conventional in mathematics. The same thing is happening when you write -2^2. The calculator does the exponent first: 2^2 = 4. Then it does the subtraction (zero minus 4 = -4).
