Absolute value (algebra)
Well kiddo, do you know what numbers and numbers lines are? Great! Absolute value is a way to talk about how far a number is from zero on a number line.
Let's use an example. If you have the number 5, its absolute value is 5 because it is 5 units away from zero. If you have the number -5, its absolute value is still 5 because it is also 5 units away from zero but on the opposite direction. Absolute value is always positive, no matter if the number is positive or negative.
We write absolute value like this: |x|. The bars around the x mean that we are finding the absolute value of x. So, |5| is 5 and |-5| is also 5.
Absolute value comes in handy when we want to find the distance between two numbers. For example, if we want to find the distance between 3 and -2, we use the formula |3 - (-2)| = |3 + 2| = |5| = 5. The absolute value of the difference between 3 and -2 is 5 units.
That's it kiddo! Absolute value tells us how far a number is from zero on a number line and it's always positive.
Let's use an example. If you have the number 5, its absolute value is 5 because it is 5 units away from zero. If you have the number -5, its absolute value is still 5 because it is also 5 units away from zero but on the opposite direction. Absolute value is always positive, no matter if the number is positive or negative.
We write absolute value like this: |x|. The bars around the x mean that we are finding the absolute value of x. So, |5| is 5 and |-5| is also 5.
Absolute value comes in handy when we want to find the distance between two numbers. For example, if we want to find the distance between 3 and -2, we use the formula |3 - (-2)| = |3 + 2| = |5| = 5. The absolute value of the difference between 3 and -2 is 5 units.
That's it kiddo! Absolute value tells us how far a number is from zero on a number line and it's always positive.