The distance of a number from zero on the number line, always expressed as a non-negative value. The absolute value of both 5 and -5 is 5, written as |5| = |-5| = 5.
From Latin 'absolutus' meaning free from restriction or complete, combined with 'value.' The concept developed as mathematicians worked with negative numbers and needed a way to express magnitude without regard to direction. The notation |x| was introduced in the 19th century.
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