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also called numerical value. the magnitude of a quant-ty, irrespective of sign; the distance of a quant-ty from zero. the absolute value of a number is symbolized by two vertical lines, as |3| or |−3| is equal to 3.
the square root of the sum of the squares of the real and imaginary parts of a given complex number, as |a + b i | is equal to .
historical examples

the absolute value of their remarks was about as great as the value of the investigation they either mocked at or extolled.
notes on life and letters joseph conrad

for them virtue and duty have a relative and not an absolute value.
mary wollstonecraft elizabeth robins pennell

second, professor fisher has no absolute value in his scheme.
the value of money benjamin m. anderson, jr.

the “human factor” which explains the absolute value is, for them, labor.
the value of money benjamin m. anderson, jr.

what has never been properly recognised is the absolute value of the margin itself — a value frequently superior to its enclosure.
pagan papers kenneth grahame

the absolute value of a thing, then, is its cost in time and expense.
what is property? p. j. proudhon

while individual goods may vary greatly in absolute value, the general m-ss of goods will vary comparatively little and seldom.
readings in money and banking chester arthur phillips

is the absolute value of the parts in shadow lowered or raised?
french art w. c. brownell

an actor in desperate earnest himself, he must have believed in the absolute value of conventional signs.
a set of six joseph conrad

there is no disputing the absolute value of this pure perception.
a new philosophy: henri bergson edouard le roy

noun (maths)
the positive real number equal to a given real but disregarding its sign. written | x |. where r is positive, | r | = r = | –r
also called modulus. a measure of the magnitude of a complex number, represented by the length of a line in the argand diagram: |x + iy | = √(x² + y²), so | 4 + 3i | = 5
absolute value
the value of a number without regard to its sign. for example, the absolute value of +3 (written |+3|) and the absolute value of -3 (written |-3|) are both 3.