Why is (-2) squared different from -2 squared?

I'm in 8th grade math and well, I just want to know... my homework asks it. Why do the parentheses make a difference?
in order of operations by

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1 Answer

(-2)²=(-1)²(2)²=1×4=4

-(2)²=-4

The brackets determine exactly what is being squared. When the minus sign is outside the brackets it’s not affected when the squaring operation is performed on the contents of the brackets.

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