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Which has the greater absolute value, 3 or -7?
In later tutorials, we're going to look at applications of absolute value, but for right
now we're just going to cover what absolute value is and how to evaluate it.
Absolute value is a number's distance from zero.
For example, 3 is three units from 0; so is -3. They're the same distance from 0.
However, 4 is four units from 0, -7 is seven units from 0. They aren't the same distance.
Absolute value is denoted by two long lines.
The number between the lines can be positive or negative.
Remember that the number between the lines can be positive or negative.
Because absolute value is a distance, the answer must be positive.
So, which has the greater absolute value?
The absolute value of 3 is three, and the absolute value of -7 is seven.
-7 is farther away from zero, so it has the greater absolute value.
Remember that absolute value always gives a positive number because it's a distance.