Absolute Value & Order
📋 What it is
Absolute value is a number's distance from zero, always non-negative.
🗣️ Coach says
Absolute value asks "how FAR from zero?", ignoring direction. |−4| = 4 and |4| = 4 — both are four steps from zero. It's written with two bars, and distance is never negative.
🧠 Memory hook
|x| = distance from zero, so it's never negative. |−4| = 4 and |4| = 4 — same distance.
😂 Giggle
What did the dividend say to the divisor?
"You complete me — with a quotient!"
😲 Whoa!
Video-game distance checks use absolute value so "3 metres away" counts the same whether the enemy is left or right of you.
✅ Quick check: What is |−4|?
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
4 — it's four units from zero, and distance is never negative.
Absolute value measures distance from zero, ignoring the sign.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
On a number line, count the steps from 0 to −6 and from 0 to 6. Both are 6 — that's absolute value.