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Absolute alue
- Thread starter sienaaaa
- Start date
D
Deleted member 4993
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Hey, I need some help with absolute value.
Evaluate the expression:
5la-5l-7lb+2l is a=4 and b=3
Hint:
|-1| = 1
You will need to perform the operations within the absolute value signs first.
Please share your work with us, indicating exactly where you are stuck - so that we may know where to begin to help you.
Hint:
|-1| = 1
You will need to perform the operations within the absolute value signs first.
Please share your work with us, indicating exactly where you are stuck - so that we may know where to begin to help you.
I know hat it means, I just don't understand it.
For example, I combined the numbers and made them positive.
As a result, I got 20+5+21+2.
When added together, I got 48.
I'm just having trouble understanding. Like, if a number was in absolute valuve symbols (For Example, l-5l) does that mean that l-5l will always be positive?
Hint:
|-1| = 1
You will need to perform the operations within the absolute value signs first.
Please share your work with us, indicating exactly where you are stuck - so that we may know where to begin to help you.
On a side note, your distributive property needs work, you distribute the constant on the outside to EVERYTHING on the inside. For this problem I recommend not using it at all since it complicates things unnecessarily.
example: 3(x+y) = 3x +3y
If you absolutely had to use it on this problem you would do 5|a-5| = 5|4-5| = |20-25| = 5 but its easier imo to just do 4-5 on the inside first. 5|4-5| = 5|-1| = 5*1 = 5
I left the second half of the problem for you.
Last edited:
HallsofIvy
Elite Member
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2012
- Messages
- 7,763
The absolute value of any number is either 0 or positive. The absolute value of any non-zero number is positive.I know hat it means, I just don't understand it.
For example, I combined the numbers and made them positive.
As a result, I got 20+5+21+2.
When added together, I got 48.
I'm just having trouble understanding. Like, if a number was in absolute valuve symbols (For Example, l-5l) does that mean that l-5l will always be positive?
The formal definition of absolute value is "if \(\displaystyle x\ge 0\), then |x|= x. If x< 0, then |x|< -x". Now look at three cases: if x is positive, x> 0 so |x|= x is positive. If x= 0, |x|= x= 0. If x is negative, x< 0 so |x|= -x which is positive because x itself is negative.