Answer:
See below.
Explanation:
Squaring a number means to multiply the number by itself.
For example, 3^2 means 3 * 3.
8^2 means 8 * 8.
(-6)^2 means (-6) * (-6).
In each case above, you see that the number that is squared is multiplied by itself.
In this case, (-4.5)^2, squaring the number -4.5, means multiply the number -4.5 by the number -4.5
(-4.5)^2 = (-4.5) * (-4.5)
Now we need to actually multiply -4.5 by -4.5
When you multiply a negative number by a negative number, the result is positive, so the product of -4.5 and -4.5 is a positive number. To find that number, you multiply 4.5 by 4.5
4.5 * 4.5 = 20.25
Therefore, (-4.5)^2 = 20.25