Sum Squares 028Dc5

1. The problem is to understand the expression $a^2 + b^2$. 2. This expression represents the sum of the squares of two variables $a$ and $b$. 3. The formula for the square of a variable $x$ is $x^2 = x \times x$. 4. Therefore, $a^2 = a \times a$ and $b^2 = b \times b$. 5. Adding these gives $a^2 + b^2$, which is simply the sum of these two squared terms. 6. This expression is commonly used in algebra and geometry, for example in the Pythagorean theorem where $a^2 + b^2 = c^2$ for a right triangle. 7. Without specific values for $a$ and $b$, the expression remains as $a^2 + b^2$. Final answer: $a^2 + b^2$