Final answer:
The original list contains 5 different numbers. The new list created by squaring the numbers contains 4 different numbers. The lower number of unique numbers in the list of squares is due to the fact that squaring a negative number results in a positive number.
Step-by-step explanation:
The list contains 5 different numbers: 1, -3, 3, 2, and 0.5.
When we square these numbers, we get the following new list: 1, 9, 9, 4, and 0.25.
The new list created in question 2 contains 4 different numbers: 1, 9, 4, and 0.25.
The reason the two lists do not have the same number of different numbers is because squaring a negative number results in a positive number. So, the negative number -3 becomes 9 when squared, which is already in the new list. Therefore, the number of unique numbers in the list of squares is lower than the original list.