The original auto answer is correct.
a + b to the 2nd power is a + b^2, its not (a + b)^2

Yeswey how cab you be so sure about that? Usually equations are written in the form x^2 + y......reducing in power. It is very unlikely that a + b^2 is a normal equation but I think (a+b)^2 is more possible. Unless you can prove it my answer is correct with respect to mathematics.

I think, jtj_hello has a point here. According to purple math, it's recommended to put parenthesis when substituting.

Even he understands the question in that way it is still incorrect. The exponent was changed to be 3 other than 2 in a step.

According to the order of operations, bedmas, exponents come before addition. because of this and because there is no bracket around a+b I believe it is a + b^2 = 2+3^2; and not (2+3)^2. It is worded that way in the question.

I agree with Jtj here , the question must have been (a+b)^2 . It can be interpreted in anyway by the expert but the correct is (a+b)^2 , its a general question . Its solved using the property (A+B)^2 = A^2 +B^2 + 2AB i.e. 2^2+ 3^2 + 2*2*3= 4+9+12= 25 .

The question being A+b^2 makes no sense to me .

Thank you Deb, actually i have also noticed some other questions similarly to this one though at the moment i could not find them and i believe your understanding is correct. Thanks for sharing it with us.

SCM I don't believe that the order of operations are open to interpretation. The reason we follow the order of operations is so that there is no room for different interpretations of a question, because there should only be one correct answer.

Well do you think the user would mention the question this way - open parenthesis a + b close parenthesis to the second power in order to explain (a+b)^2 in words....because I do not think so. We are interpreting this based on how we understand the question and clearly a + b^2 doesn't make sense as an equation. I'd rather have weegy admin decide on the correctness of this. If deb and yeswey will decide on this there might be conflict of interest as deb was the first person who provided the initial answer (or I might be wrong) and yeswey gave the flag which cause 0.50 deduction on my earnings.

Hi everyone, I hope this issue will be resolved soon.

For example let's consider that jtj_hello's answer is correct and that the user did really ask (a + b)^2.
I don't think that her answer should be flagged even if there was a typo on the exponent on part of the solution.

I emailed Weegy Admin last night and asked him if we should flag answers that has clear typo errors on part of the solution or sentences (even if the final answer is correct. )

Weegy Admin agreed that it should not be flagged, instead it should be deleted and add a new answer.

*****
jtj_hello, I think just need to calm down. I have a lot of flags for math question that I answered based on my own interpretations whenever the question was not stated clearly. But you know, sometimes I learned from it. I believed that you have the correct answer here (based on my understandings), but I also understand how yeswey and Deb based it on the orders of operations. Also, I don't think that you were deducted 0.50 cents for this flag because live answers has a higher rate than archived answers. Are you sure it's 0.50 cents? That's too much. I'm just saying.

Of course I don't think the user would word the question that way. More like (A+B) to the second power. Perhaps the user did not know how to show exponents as ^2.

The conflict of interest comment is offensive to me though. I didn't decide on anything, I did not flag you and if I am wrong I always take a flag; in fact, I flag myself when I am wrong. I merely weighed in on why I chose the answer I did. You getting a flag does not benefit me in any way.

Debnjerry, I believe what you said is true but only if the question is stated correctly .

Hi deb, I apologize if you were offended. I used the word "might" on my previous comment as I am not sure if you were the first expert who answered that question (as I do not see the expert name in the answer but on the succeeding ones, your name reflected as the expert who answered them). This is also where the conflict of interest might come in because if you were the first person who answered the question and mine was accepted as correct, then the first answer will be deemed incorrect. But again, I didn't mean to offend you but I now know that you were offended. I also would like to agree that YES, moderators flag themeselves. I've seen a lot of you doing that in the archive.

@yeswey, I do not think you flagged me because of that clear typo error on my solution (2&3 are next to each other in the keyboard).

@Andrew, I am not sure if there were answers/questions of mine that were deleted if they did not add value or the conversations were incomplete but I'm certain that when this flag came in, 0.50 was deducted. I also noticed that even when flags were lifted, whatever were deducted are not credited back but I just do not mind it but just want to reduce unnecessary flags.

All, I will hands off on this issue and will let admin decide whether my answer has to be deleted for the typo error as what Andrew confirmed on his comment or the flag is valid.

jtj_hello, based on my experience here. Whenever my answer was flagged and then unflagged, the earnings were credited back to my account. This was also clarified by Weegy Admin on the blogs.

It just happens that most of the time the updates are delayed, so it's difficult to determine how much you earned or lost for that answer.

It could also be possible that some of your answers were deleted because they don't have value and that they added up to the flagged answer you received.