You want to calculate the sum of squares of two variables a and b in bash. Which command correctly does this using arithmetic expansion?

hard🚀 Application Q8 of 15

Bash Scripting - Quoting and Expansion

You want to calculate the sum of squares of two variables a and b in bash. Which command correctly does this using arithmetic expansion?

Aresult=$((a^2 + b^2))

Bresult=$((a ** 2 + b ** 2))

Cresult=$((a * a + b * b))

Dresult=$((a * 2 + b * 2))

Step-by-Step Solution

Solution:

Step 1: Understand exponentiation in bash
Use ** for powers, not ^.
Step 2: Evaluate each option
result=$((a ** 2 + b ** 2)) correctly calculates a squared plus b squared. result=$((a * a + b * b)) multiplies variables by themselves but lacks clarity. result=$((a^2 + b^2)) uses ^ which is bitwise XOR, not power. result=$((a * 2 + b * 2)) doubles variables, not squares.
Final Answer:
result=$((a ** 2 + b ** 2)) -> Option B
Quick Check:
Correct power syntax = result=$((a ** 2 + b ** 2)) [OK]

Quick Trick: Use ** for powers, not ^ in bash arithmetic [OK]

Common Mistakes:

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