Properties of Absolute Value

• Absolute value: The non-negative value of any real number.
• In terms of distance, absolute value measures how far a number is along the number line from zero, without regard to which
direction away from zero the number is located.

The absolute value of a positive number is itself.

The absolute value of a negative number is its opposite, i.e.,

the positive version of itself. Or you can say it’s the negative
of itself, which is positive because the negative of a negative
makes a positive.

NEVER take it for granted that a variable within absolute

value signs is positive. Always consider the negative
possibility as well.

The absolute value of a product of two numbers is equal to

the product of the absolute values of the numbers.

The absolute value of a fraction or a division problem is the

absolute value of the numerator divided by the absolute value
of the denominator.

Adding is different. The absolute value of a sum is ALWAYS

less than or equal to the sum of the absolute values of the two
numbers involved.

Absolute value always adds positive numbers, while adding

inside the absolute value signs may add a positive with a
negative. In the example, you can see the difference between
adding two terms within absolute value and adding the
absolute values of two separate terms.

In general, the absolute value of a sum of two numbers will

be less than or equal to the sum of the absolute values of the
numbers. They are equal when the two numbers have the
same sign.

www.thinkwell.com © Thinkwell Corp. 1 

 

Evaluating Absolute Value Expressions

• The absolute value of any number represents its positive distance to 0 on a number line.
• If the quantity inside the absolute value notation is positive or equal to 0, its absolute value is just itself.
• If the quantity inside the absolute value notation is negative, then its absolute value is the negative of itself.
• Absolute value notation is two vertical lines around the quantity; e.g., |7|, |a – 2c – 5|.

Always remember that the point of absolute value is to

measure distance.

If a quantity can be shown to be positive, you can remove

the absolute value notation and work with the expression
as is.

In this case you know you are dealing with a positive quantity
because π is larger than 3. That means you will have a
positive answer after you subtract.

Always remember to distribute any negative sign across all

the terms in the affected expression. Not doing this accurately
is a major cause of arithmetic mistakes in algebra problems.

This problem reminds you that sometimes a factoring

possibility shows up unexpectedly. In that case do not
multiply through. Your answer will simplify down more
completely if you let the factors cancel.

Also, this problem is an example of having a positive quantity

within the absolute value notation. You note that the absolute
value of the quantity 1/2 is itself.

This problem shows you how a negative quantity within the

absolute value signs is handled. You note that the absolute
value of this negative value is the negative of itself.

Remember: Distribute the negative sign across the

parentheses onto every term in the group.

www.thinkwell.com © Thinkwell Corp. 1 

 

In this example, you must determine whether the expression

inside the absolute value signs is positive or negative.

By starting with the inequality, and multiplying and adding

to produce the expression in the absolute value, you determine
that that expression is positive.

From there you know that the absolute value of the quantity
is itself.

 2 © Thinkwell Corp. www.thinkwell.com