Explain the difference in meaning between |-3| and -3
Absolute value means to remove any negative sign in front of a number, and to think of all numbers as positive
| - 3 | = 3
To understand the difference in meaning between |-3| and -3, let's break it down:
|-3| represents the absolute value of -3. The absolute value of a number is its distance from zero on the number line, regardless of the sign. So, |-3| would be equal to 3, because the distance from -3 to 0 is 3 units.
On the other hand, -3 is a negative number itself. It has a negative sign in front of it, indicating that it is less than zero on the number line.
So, the main difference between |-3| and -3 is the presence and absence of the absolute value brackets. |-3| gives you the positive value of -3, which is 3, while -3 remains a negative number.