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Absolute value review

Review absolute value, and try some practice problems.

What is absolute value?

The absolute value of a number is its distance from 0.
Example: positive number
The absolute value of 4 is start color #11accd, 4, end color #11accd:
Example: negative number
The absolute value of minus, 4 is also start color #11accd, 4, end color #11accd:
4 and minus, 4 are the same distance from 0, so they have the same absolute value of start color #11accd, 4, end color #11accd.
Want to learn more about absolute value? Check out this video.

The absolute value symbol

The symbol for absolute value is a bar vertical bar on each side of the number.
Example:
"The absolute value of minus, 3, point, 2" can be written vertical bar, minus, 3, point, 2, vertical bar.

Practice

Problem 1
  • Current
What is open vertical bar, 5, close vertical bar?
  • Your answer should be
  • an integer, like 6
  • a simplified proper fraction, like 3, slash, 5
  • a simplified improper fraction, like 7, slash, 4
  • a mixed number, like 1, space, 3, slash, 4
  • an exact decimal, like 0, point, 75
  • a multiple of pi, like 12, space, start text, p, i, end text or 2, slash, 3, space, start text, p, i, end text

Want to try more problems like this? Check out these exercises: Finding absolute value
Comparing absolute values

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