Absolute value

Content

What is the absolute value of a number?

The absolute value of a number is the distance from zero to the number indicated on a number line, in other words, the absolute value represents the distance from a point to the origin that corresponds to zero.

The absolute value is an unsigned number and is represented mathematically by enclosing the number between two parallel lines, being able to represent without a sign is considered as a positive number.

|5| = 5
|-5| = 5
|+5| = 5

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Absolute value properties

• Non-negativity property: The absolute value of a number cannot be negative.
• Multiplicative property: The module of a two-number product is always the same as the product of the modules of both numbers, for example: |5 x (-4)| = |5|x|-4|
• Additive Property: The module of a sum is always equal to the sum separately of the module of both numbers, for example: |20 + 4| = |20| + |4|

Important: If the absolute value is 3 that means that the number to evaluate could be -3 or 3.