Definition of

Absolute Value

Absolute Value

How far a number is from zero.

Examples:

6 is 6 away from zero, so the absolute value of 6 is 6
−6 is 6 away from zero, so the absolute value of −6 is 6

In other words it is the magnitude or size of a number, no negatives allowed.

The symbol "|" is placed either side to mean "Absolute Value", so we write: |−6| = 6

Try it yourself:

../numbers/images/absolute.js