Question

what are absolute values?

Answer 1

http://mathworld.wolfram.com/AbsoluteValue.html

Answer 2

absolute value is the exact number away from 0 the number is

Answer 3

for example -3 has the absolut value of 3

Answer 4

http://www.purplemath.com/modules/absolute.htm

Answer 5

and -2.54789 has the absolut value of 2.54789

Answer 6

If you have a positive number written like this: /25/ would that be absolute value of -25?

Answer 7

The absolute value is a function such that:

\[|a| = \cases{\begin{array}{ccc} a & \text{if} & a \ge 0 \\ -a & \text{if} & a < 0\end{array}}\]

Answer 8

no it would be 25

Answer 9

|25| is 25 because \(25 \ge 0\)

Answer 10

absolute value is always positive

Answer 11

absolute value is the distance from 0 on a number line

the easy way to remember absolute value is make the thing positive

Answer 12

gotcha!
Thanks you guys. Ya'll the best. :-)

Answer 13

if the number is already positive then leave it

Answer 14

no probs

Answer 15

@ Jashua 13,
Then what about if the number is already negative?

Answer 16

make it positive

Answer 17

If it's less than 0, change it's sign (multiply by -1). If it is greater or equal to 0, it stays the way it is.

Answer 18

@polpak that is just a smarter and more complicated way to put it but yes

Answer 19

gotcha! Thanks so much.

Answer 20

no probs

Answer 21

It's a definition you need though to find solutions to absolute values.

Answer 22

Otherwise it's hard for some people to see why there's a negative solution to |x + 15| when 'the absolute value always makes stuff positive'

Answer 23

Err |x+15| = 30 rather.