The absolute value of an integer sparked my interest while I was recently reviewing my math homework. I remembered that it was something with an “easy” answer no matter what the problem was, but I couldn’t remember the exact definition of what it meant. The absolute value of a number is the distance it is away from zero. Whether the number is -6 or 6, you are still only 6 spaces away from zero. When you input a negative or a positive number (or zero), the end result will always be positive (or zero). The notation for writing absolute value uses two bars on each side of a number, not parenthesis.
For example:
|-5| = 5 and |5| = 5
This is read “the absolute value of the opposite of 5 equals 5” and “the absolute value of 5 equals 5”.
One thing to note when dealing with the absolute value is that the “-” or normally called negative sign, should be viewed as “the opposite of sign”, not necessarily a negative sign. The reason for this approach is that you can have an equation where you might have - |-x|. From everything I’ve discussed you might say “positive x” for the answer, however you have to look closely at where the bars are placed. Anything within the bars |-x| results in a positive x, however when you add the opposite sign outside of the bars, the ultimate answer is –x.
Absolute Value Number Ball Game
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