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Intro to absolute value

Learn how to think about absolute value as distance from zero, and practice finding absolute values.
The absolute value of a number is its distance from 0.
For example, the absolute value of 4 is start color #11accd, 4, end color #11accd:
This seems kind of obvious. Of course the distance from 0 to 4 is start color #11accd, 4, end color #11accd. Where absolute value gets interesting is with negative numbers.
For example, the absolute value of minus, 4 is also start color #11accd, 4, end color #11accd:

Let's practice!

Problem 1A
  • Current
What is the absolute value of 3?
  • 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

The absolute value symbol

The symbol for absolute value is a bar vertical bar on each side of the number.
For example, instead of writing
"the absolute value of minus, 6"
we can just write
vertical bar, minus, 6, vertical bar.

Let's practice!

Problem 2A
  • Current
What is vertical bar, 7, 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 join the conversation?

  • duskpin ultimate style avatar for user Jade Schmitz
    wouldn't the question -(-7+4)it is absolute, be-11?
    (18 votes)
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  • duskpin tree style avatar for user Mariana
    What is absolute value in real-life scenarios?
    (9 votes)
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    • stelly blue style avatar for user Kim Seidel
      Absolute values are used when we work with distances. Distances are positive values.

      For example: A diver is -15 deep (this places him 15 feet below the surface of the water). How far does he need to travel to get to the surface? He needs to travel |-15| = 15 feet.
      Hope this helps.
      (50 votes)
  • blobby green style avatar for user Matthew Pickel
    how is a<|a| shouldn't a=|a| as they are the same distance from 0?
    (10 votes)
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  • leafers seedling style avatar for user j_mattson
    this doesn't totally make sense to me.
    (10 votes)
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    • male robot donald style avatar for user Danny
      So absolute value is the distance a number has from 0. It can never be negative. So lets say that an editor needs to go back -3 pages. The absolute value would be 3. He/she would need to go back 3 pages since there are no negative pages. Hope this helps!
      (8 votes)
  • blobby green style avatar for user kiera.brown
    Would -(-9+3) it be absolute -12
    (9 votes)
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  • duskpin ultimate style avatar for user summerlexicheng
    How do we use absolute value in the real world
    (7 votes)
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    • hopper cool style avatar for user Philip
      Any time we want to find the total amount, such as the total distance traveled, rather than the destination. For instance, let's say I take 10 steps forward, then turn around and take 10 steps back to my original spot. In the end, it means I did not actually move at all. 10 plus negative 10 = 0. But in this case, I want to find how steps I took in total. So I take the absolute value of both numbers, and now discover that 10 plus 10 equals 20, because I took a total 20 steps.
      (10 votes)
  • blobby green style avatar for user Merline Fishburne
    If they ask for the absoulte value of 8, is the answer going to be positive 8?
    (5 votes)
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  • piceratops seedling style avatar for user ryder.riggs
    i wonder who was like "hmmm lets put lines beside this number and that will mean absaloot value"
    (10 votes)
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  • piceratops ultimate style avatar for user Jayden Wang
    This is for the students who are confused on how absoulute value works. My first example: think of a integer, the definition of a integer is a positive whole number. So if we say the absoulute value of -2, think of it as what is -2 swicthed as a integer. Please upvote me if this helped.
    (7 votes)
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    • duskpin ultimate style avatar for user Jove
      The definition of an integer used here is incorrect.

      An integer is any specific number that can be expressed without using a fraction or decimal.

      It is not a positive whole number.

      The absolute value of a negative number is its positive opposite.
      (4 votes)
  • blobby green style avatar for user Neville Bukasa
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    (8 votes)
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