Pile A is a $12\times 12\times 12$ cube of unit cubes plus 1 single unit cube. Pile B has exactly the same number of unit cubes: a $10\times 10\times 10$ cube plus one more solid cube. What is the edge of that orange cube?

Both are repeated multiplication, but with key differences:

- A square is non-negative: $(-5{)}^2=+25$.
- A cube **keeps the sign**: $(-5{)}^3=-125$. (Three negatives stay odd → still negative.)
- Squares grow more slowly than cubes: $5^2=25$ vs $5^3=125.-$ For square roots, only positive results (by convention). For cube roots, the sign matches the input: ∛$(-27)=-3$.