
### Instruction: help me answer this question Show that the statement \"For any real numbers a and b, a2 = b2 implies that a = b\" is not true by giving a counter-example., think step by step
### Assistant: The given statement is a conditional statement in the form of 'if and only if' (iff). To show that the statement is not true, a counter-example is provided, where a and b are real numbers which satisfy a2 = b2 but a  eq b. , The answer is Let a = 1 and b = -1<br>a2 = (1)2 = 1 and<br>b2 = (-1)2 = 1<br>Hence, a2 = b2<br>However, a  eq b<br>Therefore, it can be concluded that the given statement is false.
