The "Absolute Value" of a real number is the "size" of that number. When plotted on the number line, it is the distance from 0. Thus the value is always positive or zero.

• The absolute value of 5 is 5
• The absolute value of -7 is 7
• The absolute value of 0 is 0
• The absolute value of -3/4 is 3/4
The absolute value is also used for complex numbers, although there it is more usually referred to as the "magnitude," and is an important part of the polar representation of a complex number.

The absolute value of a real number (or rational number, etc) can be computed by taking the (positive) square root of the square:

• $|x|~=~\sqrt{x^2}$
We can also compute the Magnitude of a vector, which is its length.
ScalarProduct
UnitVector
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MagnitudeOfAVector (none)

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