Absolute Value

Absolute value simply means the amount of "jumps" made on a number line.  It is a measurement of distance moved from one place on a number line to another.  Because it is measuring distance and not direction, absolute value is always positive.  The absolute value of a number is noted between two absolute value bars.

|-5| = 5

|7| = 7

If we take the absolute value of |-6|or|6| or and look at it as the distance from zero on the number line, you can see that in either direction you have moved six spaces.  You either move or you don't.  This is way the value is always positive.

Important to Remember: Absolute value bars are also considered grouping symbols.  Like parentheses, whatever operations occur inside the absolute value bars are done first in order of operations.

|5-2*6|=|5-12|=|-7|=7

Number Line Image taken from www.mathisfun.com