Find the value of a2 + b when a = - 2 and b = 5

Answer: 9

Step-by-step explanation: In this problem, we're going to evaluate a² + b knowing that a = - 2 and b = 5.

So the first thing we want to do is substitute these numbers into our problem.

Since a = - 2, we will replace a with a - 2 and as we do that, we will put that - 2 in parentheses and square it since we have a². Squaring a number just means multiplying a number by itself so (-2) ² is equal to 4 since a negative multiplied by a negative gives us a positive.

Now we will replace b with 5 and now we have the following.

4 + 5 simplifies to 9.