Absolute value is the distance a number is from zero on a number line. We use |n | to indicate absolute value.

|-n| = |n| =n; where n is an integer.

Example: |-7| = 7

Example: Jack Nickles is –4 after 36 holes of golf. How many strokes away from even par is he? (Par for a course is a score of zero strokes above or below.) Answer: 4

Example: |7 + 3| - |-9| = 10 – 9 = 1