Evaluate the expression 2x squared plus 3x plus 8 when x equals 4.

1. Substitute 4 for every x: 2 times 4 squared, plus 3 times 4, plus 8. 2. Simplify the exponent first: 4 squared equals 16. 3. Multiply: 2 times 16 equals 32, and 3 times 4 equals 12. 4. Add the three results: 32 plus 12 plus 8 equals 52. 5. Squaring the quantity 2x instead of squaring only x gives 2 times 4, squared, which is 64, and then 64 plus 12 plus 8 equals 84, confusing 2x squared with the quantity (2x) squared. 6. Dropping the exponent entirely and using 2x instead of 2x squared gives 8 plus 12 plus 8, which equals 28. _Source: OpenStax Prealgebra (CC BY 4.0), Ch 2 "The Language of Algebra", section 2.2 Evaluate, Simplify, and Translate Expressions_