Explain the difference in meaning between [-3] and -3

one has square brackets around it, and the other one doesn't.

I would consider both to be -3

dude its absolute value -3 is 3 away from zero so [-3]=3 -3=-3

[-3] represents a mathematical concept known as an absolute value, while -3 is a negative integer.

To understand the difference, let's break it down:

1. [-3] (written with square brackets): This notation indicates the absolute value of a number. Absolute value ignores the sign of the number and instead gives its distance from zero on a number line. The result is always a non-negative (or positive) value. Therefore, the absolute value of -3 is 3, as it is situated 3 units away from zero in the negative direction.

2. -3 (written with a hyphen): This represents a negative integer. The negative sign in front of the number indicates its negative value. In this case, -3 means that the number itself is negative.

To summarize, [-3] refers to the positive distance of 3 units from zero on the number line, while -3 indicates the negative value of 3.