Whats the absolute value of 8?

1 Answer
George C.
Jun 29, 2015

The absolute value of #8# is #8#.

In symbols: #abs(8) = 8#

Explanation:

The absolute value of a number is its 'size'. For positive numbers the size is the same as the number. For negative numbers it is the corresponding positive number.

In symbols:

#abs(x) = abs(-x) = x# when #x >= 0#

Another way of thinking of it is to imagine numbers laid out in order, evenly spaced on a line with #0# at the centre, negative numbers on the left and positive numbers on the right, with #1# being a unit distance from #0#. The absolute value of any number is then its distance from #0#.

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