Absolute Value
GMAT glossary · Quantitative Reasoning
Definition
The distance of a number from zero on the number line; always nonnegative. |x| = x if x ≥ 0; |x| = -x if x < 0.
Absolute Value in plain English
Absolute value just answers the question: how far is this number from zero, ignoring direction? Distance is never negative, so the answer is always zero or positive. Think of standing on a number line: whether you walk 5 steps left to -5 or 5 steps right to 5, you've walked 5 steps either way, so |-5| = 5 and |5| = 5. The formula |x| = -x when x < 0 looks weird, but if x is negative, sticking a minus in front just flips it to positive.
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