Mathematics

Grade 7 • Unit 2: Integers

LESSON 2.1
Absolute Value of a Number
Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Test Your Prerequisite Skills 2

DepEd Competency 2

Objectives 3

Warm-Up! 3

Learn about It! 4

Let’s Practice 5

Check Your Understanding 10

Key Points 11

Bibliography 11
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Grade 7 • Unit 2: Integers

Lesson 2.1
Absolute Value of a Number

Fig. 1. Social Distancing protocol during the COVID-19 pandemic imposes everyone to keep
at least 1 meter distance from each other.

Introduction
There are many health protocols imposed to ensure public health safety during the COVID-
19 pandemic. Social distancing of at least one meter is one of those health safety protocols.
Distance is always measured using positive numbers, no matter where your measurement
starts and ends. We apply the concept of the absolute value of a number in obtaining the

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Grade 7 • Unit 2: Integers

measurement of a distance.

In this lesson, we will learn about the absolute value of a number and its applications in real-
life.

Test Your Prerequisite Skills

Before you get started, answer the following items on a separate sheet of paper. This will
help you assess your prior knowledge and practice some skills that you will need in studying
the lessons in this unit. Show your complete solution.

1. Using the given number line, locate the following:

a. five units to the right of zero

b. six units to the left of 10
c. seven units to the right of 6

DepEd Competency
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to represent the absolute value of a
number on a number line as the distance of a number from 0 (M7NS-lc-1).

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Grade 7 • Unit 2: Integers

Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Plot integers on the number line.

● Determine the absolute value of integers.

● Order integers from least to greatest and vice versa.

● Solve real-life problems involving absolute value.

Warm-Up!

Roll Me Right! Roll Me Left!

Materials
● 2 dice with different colors
● Long bond paper with the number line from -30 to 30
● Coins as markers
● Covered box

Instructions
1. This activity involves a pair of students who will be the players of the game.
2. The two players shall decide which colored die (white, for example) will indicate a
movement to the right, and which colored die (red, for example) will indicate a
movement to the left.
3. Place the two dice in a covered box.
4. Determine which student will roll the dice first through a coin toss.
5. Place both coins on the zero point.

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6. The first student will pick a die without peeking in the box and shall roll it. Whichever
number shows up shall be the same number of steps the coin marker will be moved.
If the die is white, the player will move his or her marker to the right and if the die is
red, he or she shall move it to the left.
7. The second player shall do the same.
8. Both players shall take turns doing Steps 6 and 7 until each player has had five rolls.
9. The number of steps of each marker from zero shall then be counted. The player that
is farther from zero shall be the winner.

Learn about It!

The activity you just performed in Warm Up! deals with the concept of absolute value.

Definition 1.1: The absolute value of a real number is its

distance from zero on the number line.

The absolute value of a nonzero number is always positive and the absolute value of zero is
zero. The absolute value of any number 𝑎 is denoted by |𝑎|.

Example:
What is the value of |−5|?

Solution:
The expression |– 5| is read as "the absolute value of negative five”.
Using the number line, you can count that −5 is five units away from zero.

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Essential Question
How will you determine the absolute value of integers?

Let’s Practice
Example 1
Evaluate |– 2|.

Solution
Using the number line, you can see that −2 is two units away from zero.

Thus, |– 2| = 2.

Try It Yourself!
Illustrate and evaluate the expression | − 6|.

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Grade 7 • Unit 2: Integers

Example 2
Which has a smaller value, |– 11| or |5|?

Solution
Even without using the number line, we know that – 11 is 11 units away from zero and 5 is 5
units away from zero. That is, |– 11| = 11 and |5| = 5.

Since 5 is less than 11, this means that |𝟓| is less than |−𝟏𝟏|. In symbols, |𝟓| < |−𝟏𝟏|.

Try It Yourself!
Which relation symbol (<, >, or =) must be written on the blank?
|−8| ____ 8

Example 3
Add: |– 2| + |8|.

Solution
We evaluate their absolute values first.

|– 2| = 2
|8| = 8

Then we add the absolute values.

|– 2| + |8| = 2 + 8
= 10

Therefore, |– 2| + |8| = 10.

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Try It Yourself!
Perform the indicated operations: |– 9| + |– 6| – |7|.

Real-world Problems
Example 4
Annie, Becky, and Charmie live in the same block. Annie’s house is
between Becky’s and Charmie’s. If Becky’s house is 12 m to the left
of Annie’s, and Charmie’s is 20 m to the right of Annie’s, how far is
Becky’s house from Charmie’s?

Solution
Step 1: Illustrate the problem using a number line, with Annie’s house on the zero mark.

Step 2: We relate the needed distance to the distances already given:

From the illustration, we can find the distance from Becky’s house to Charmie’s
house by adding the distance between Becky’s and Annie’s houses to the distance
between Annie’s and Charmie’s houses.

Therefore, we have

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Distance of Becky ′ s house to Charmie′ s = |−12| + |20|

= 12 + 20
= 32

Therefore, Charmie’s house is 𝟑𝟐 m away from Becky’s house.

Example 5
From the ground floor, an elevator climbed 15 floors, and then went
down to two floors underground before going back to the ground floor.
How many floors did the elevator travel?

Solution
Step 1: We assign the integer 0 for the ground floor, and we assign an absolute value of an
integer for every ascent or descent of the elevator:

From ground floor to the 15th floor: |15|

From 15th floor to two floors underground: |– 15| + |– 2|
From two floors underground to the ground floor: |2|

Step 2: We add all the absolute values we wrote in step 1 to find the total distance.
Total distance traveled by the elevator:

|15| + |– 15| + |– 2| + |– 2| = 15 + 15 + 2 + 2
= 34

Thus, the elevator traveled a total of 𝟑𝟒 floors.

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Try It Yourself!
The temperature in a certain ice plant is being monitored every day. The thermometer
readings recorded are as follows:

Time Temperature

8:00 −3°C

9:00 −6°C

10:00 −7°C

11:00 −8°C

12:00 −10°C

At what time was the temperature the greatest drop from the initial −3°𝐶, and by how
much?

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Grade 7 • Unit 2: Integers

Check Your Understanding

1. Evaluate the following expressions:
a. |– 2|
b. |15|
c. |– 43|

2. Compare the values of each item using the relation symbol >, <, or =.
a. |−20| ______ |0|

b. 12 ______ |−21|
c. |100| ______ |−100|

3. Perform the indicated operation:

a. |−10| − |−7|
b. |−25| + |−17|
c. 16 − |−12|

4. The manual of a certain machine tells that it should operate at a temperature of

−20°C to −10°C. The machine suddenly stops and the temperature displays −5°C.
How would you make the machine work again?

5. A submarine is located at 100 m below the sea level and directly above it is a
balloon 50 m from the sea level. How far is the balloon from the submarine?

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Key Points

● The absolute value of a number is the distance of a number from zero. It is usually
denoted by the symbol |𝑥|, where 𝑥 is any real number.

Bibliography

Marc Garneau, et. al., Math Makes Sense 7. Pearson: 2007.

McGraw-Hill Education. Glencoe Math Volume 1 Grade 7. McGraw-Hill Education: 2014.

Stapel, Elizabeth. “Absolute Value”. Purplemath. Retrieved 5 February 2019 from

https://www.purplemath.com/modules/absolute.htm

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