You are writing a Python program that evaluates an arithmetic formular. The formular is described as b equals a multiplied by negative one, then raised to the second power, where a is the value that…

Question

Options

• Ab = (-a) ** 2
• Bb = (a) ** -2
• Cb = (-a) * * .2
• Db = -(a) ** 2

• A
  76% (29)
• B
  8% (3)
• C
  3% (1)
• D
  13% (5)

Explanation

Option A correctly implements "negate a, then square the result" by placing -a inside parentheses before applying **2, which forces the negation to happen first: (-a)² always yields a non-negative result regardless of a's sign.

B is wrong because ** -2 means "raise to the power of negative two" (1/a²), not "negate then square."
C contains a syntax error - the space between * * breaks the exponentiation operator, and .2 is 0.2, not 2.
D is a classic precedence trap: Python's ** operator binds more tightly than unary minus, so -(a) ** 2 is evaluated as -(a²), which negates the result of squaring rather than negating a first - the exact opposite intent.

Memory tip: Think "what gets negated?" - if you want to negate the input, wrap it in parentheses (-a) before the operator; if the minus sign sits outside without parentheses, Python squares first and negates last.

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