This week in math we learned about finding the absolute value of a real number.

We determined the absolute value of a real number is defined as the principal square root of a number 

(principal square root of a number = the positive square root)

The absolute value can be explained as the distance of the number from zero on a number line.

For example, the absolute value of 109 or |109| = 109 because it is 109 numbers away from the number line. Another example is the absolute value of -63 or |-63| is 63 because even though it is a negative number, it is still 63 numbers away from zero, therefore the absolute value is positive 63

*absolute value symbols (|x|) are grouping symbols and are very similar to brackets, so you solve the problem as you would any other.*

ex.