2 squared is 4, which is more than 2. However, 0.2 squared is 0.04, which is less than 0.2. Can someone explain this apparent contradiction where a number between 0 and 1 squared becomes less than the original number but everything else (more than 1) becomes more?

Question

And I understand for example if I’m talking about meters, it’ll become square meters so the comparison is not apples to apples anymore. But in situations where there is no unit (for example, a math equation where you need to find x, whatever X is), why is this not contradictory?

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Answer 1

Squaring is multiplying a number by itself. Think of it in more everyday terms. What’s half of a half? A quarter. That’s 0.5^2. Likewise, you can raise 1 to any power and it’ll always be 1 because it’s multiplied by 1.