absolute value

IPA/ˌæb.sə.luːt ˈvæl.juː/
IPA/ˌæb.sə.luːt ˈvæl.juː/

absolute value — noun

1. in mathematics, the non-negative amount showing how far a real number is from ze

1.名詞B2
釋義

in mathematics, the non-negative amount showing how far a real number is from zero, without keeping the plus or minus sign.

例句

Mira wrote that the absolute value of -9 is 9.

pattern: the absolute value of + number

The worksheet asked Kofi to find the absolute value of 12.

同義詞
  • modulus

    more technical and often seen in textbooks, but it can mean the same thing for ordinary numbers

  • distance from zero

    explains the idea clearly, but it is a description rather than the formal term

文法句型

the absolute value of + number

find/calculate the absolute value of + number

用法筆記

Usually appears with numbers on a number line or in basic algebra. Distinguish from sense 2, which is used for complex numbers rather than ordinary signed numbers.

常見錯誤

The absolute value of -7 is -7.
The absolute value of -7 is 7.
💡absolute value ignores the sign and gives the non-negative distance from zero.

2. in complex-number work, the positive length from zero to the point for that numb

2.名詞C1
釋義

in complex-number work, the positive length from zero to the point for that number on the complex plane.

例句

Hari found the absolute value of 3 + 4i by using a right triangle.

absolute value of + complex number

The graph showed the absolute value as the line from zero.

idea: length from the origin

同義詞
  • modulus

    often the preferred technical label for the same idea in complex-number chapters

  • magnitude

    broader technical term for size that also applies to vectors and other quantities

文法句型

the absolute value of + complex number

absolute value equals + number

用法筆記

Used in algebra and complex analysis when a complex number is shown as a point. Unlike sense 1, the value comes from the real and imaginary parts together, not from a single signed number.

常見錯誤

The absolute value of 3 + 4i is 3 + 4i.
The absolute value of 3 + 4i is 5.
💡this sense gives the positive length, not the complex number itself.