I have a function $f_a(x)$ with one independent variable $x$ and a parameter $a$; if I want to write the square form of this, which one is correct or preferred?
$$ f_a(x)^2 \qquad \text{or} \qquad f^2_a(x) $$
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4Best and clearest in my opinion is $(f_a(x))^2$. Sometimes $f_a^2(x)$ can mean different things, depending on the context, such as the second derivative of $f_a$ wrt x, or the function composition $f_a(f_a(x)) $. – insipidintegrator Jul 26 '22 at 17:05
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4I use the second for trig functions, otherwise, I clear ambiguity by using brackets: $[f_a (x)]^2.$ – Sean Roberson Jul 26 '22 at 17:05