I am looking at a problem and I am wondering ....Is (a+b)^3 ever equal to a^3+b^3

Answer 1

Yes, let's look at the difference:

(a+b)^3 - (a^3 + b^3) =

3a^2b + 3 ab^2 = 3ab(a+b)

This is zero if a or b equals zero or if a = -b