absolute value

/ˌˈæbsəˌˈlut ˌvælju/

Other forms: absolute values

The absolute value of a number is its distance from zero on a number line. The absolute value of 3 and -3 are exactly the same.

In math, absolute value is also called a modulus. Picture a line of numbers with zero in the middle, positive values extending to the right and negative numbers to the left. It's easy to understand that the absolute value of 12 and -12 are identical: they're both 12, since each number is 12 units away from zero. Absolute value is always positive — to get the absolute value of a negative number, just take away the minus sign.

Definitions of absolute value

1. noun

   a real number regardless of its sign
   synonyms: numerical value

   types:

   modulus

   the absolute value of a complex number

   type of:

   definite quantity

   a specific measure of amount