Question

What is the absolute value of \[\left| -18 \right|\] ?

Answer 1

Hint: To solve this problem, we need to have a clear understanding of the number line and what does it represent. Absolute value of a number is basically the distance of the number from zero on the number line. Hence, the absolute value of \[\left| -18 \right|\] equals $18$ .

Complete step-by-step answer:
The numbers to the right hand side of zero are termed as the positive numbers and the numbers to the left of zero are termed as the negative numbers. Zero is the midpoint of the number line. Absolute value of any number defines how far that number is from zero on the number line. For example, the distance of “ $2$ ” from zero is “ $2$ ” and the distance of “ $-2$ ” from zero is also “ $2$ ”. Hence, we can say that the absolute value of “ $2$ ” or \[\left| 2 \right|\] equals “ $2$ ”and the absolute value of '' $-2$ ” or \[\left| -2 \right|\] also equals “ $2$ ”. So, in practice, “absolute value” means to remove any negative sign in front of a number, and to think of all numbers as positive or zero. Hence, the absolute value of a number is always positive. Furthermore, we can add that the absolute value of the difference of two real numbers is the distance between them.
According to the given problem, we can say that the absolute value of “ $-18$ ”or \[\left| -18 \right|\] is the distance of “ $-18$ ” from zero on the number line. This distance, as we all know, is equal to “ $18$ ”. Therefore, the absolute value of “ $-18$ ” or \[\left| -18 \right|\] equals “ $18$ ”.

Note: Finding the absolute value of a number might seem to be easy but misjudged calculations can lead to a totally different answer. We should be very careful while converting a number into its absolute form. In other words, we should be very careful while calculating the distance of the number from zero.