Introduction to Absolute Value:
The absolute value of a number is the number's distance from zero on a number line.
Since we never talk about distance as being negative, the absolute value of a number is always positive. Think of it as the number of jumps it would take to get to zero from a number.
- It would take five jumps to get to zero from -5, so the absolute value of -5 is 5.
- It would also take five jumps to get to zero from +5, so the absolute value of +5 is also 5.
We use bars (vertical lines) on either side of a number absolute to mean absolute value.
|-4| = the absolute value of -4 = 4
Pretty simple. If the number is negative, make it positive. If the number is already positive, leave it alone.
Absolute Value Practice:
| Treat absolute value bars as parentheses; do what is inside first. Take the absolute value of (-3) and add to that the absolute value of (+2). |
| Treat absolute value bars as parentheses; do what is inside first. Take the absolute value of -6, then take the negative of that number. |
| Again, treat absolute value bars as parentheses, do what is inside first, then take the absolute value. |
| Treat each set of absolute value bars as a set of parentheses. Simplify each separately, then subtract. |
