what is the difference between |-3| and -3? I need to know because I'm really confused I thought they were the same thing
|..?..| always yields the positive result of whater ..?.. is
so, |-3) = 3
|3| = 3
|5-18| = |-13| = 13
and of course -3 = -3
etc
thank you
I understand your confusion, but |-3| and -3 are actually different.
|-3| represents the absolute value of -3. To find the absolute value of a number, you can disregard its sign and consider only its magnitude. In this case, the magnitude of -3 is 3. So, |-3| equals 3.
On the other hand, -3 is a negative number. The minus sign in front of the number indicates that it is less than zero.
In summary, |-3| is the absolute value of -3, which is 3. -3, on the other hand, is the negative number itself.