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Prove that if n is a perfect square, then n 2 is not a perfect square?

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Final answer:

To prove that if n is a perfect square, then n^2 is not a perfect square, we can use proof by contradiction. Assume that n^2 is a perfect square and derive a contradiction by showing that n is also a perfect square. Therefore, our assumption is false, and it is proven that if n is a perfect square, then n^2 is not a perfect square.

Step-by-step explanation:

To prove that if n is a perfect square, then n2 is not a perfect square, we can use proof by contradiction.

Let's assume that n2 is a perfect square. So, there exists some positive integer k such that n2 = k2.

By taking the square root on both sides, we get n = k. This means n is also a perfect square.

However, this contradicts our assumption that n is a perfect square, since we assumed n is not a perfect square initially. Therefore, our assumption is false, and it is proven that if n is a perfect square, then n2 is not a perfect square.

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