Mehar tries x=2: 2+2=4 and 2²=4, both come out equal

Why

Mehar's test genuinely worked — 2+2 really does equal 4, and 2² really does equal 4, so for x=2 the two sides truly match, no error there. The mistake is treating one matching example as proof for EVERY value of x, when a single successful test can never confirm a rule holds always — it can only show the rule survived one particular case. Try a different number: for x=3, x+x is 3+3=6, but x² is 3×3=9 — 6 does not equal 9, so the claimed rule breaks completely. In fact, x+x only equals x² at exactly two values: x=0 (0+0=0 and 0²=0) and x=2 (checked above) — everywhere else, the two sides genuinely differ. Test: try x=5 — 5+5=10, but 5²=25, clearly different — the 'rule' Mehar proposed was never a rule at all, just a coincidence at one particular number. No, this is only true for a few special values of x, namely 0 and 2 — one matching example is never enough to prove something for every number; only checking the general case with algebra, or testing several different numbers, can do that.