Enter any positive or negative number into the number (x) field and the Absolute Value Calculator returns |x| — the non-negative distance of that number from zero. Works with integers, decimals, and negative values alike.
Absolute Value |x|
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Original Number (x)
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Sign of x
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Distance from Zero
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The absolute value of a number is its distance from zero on the number line, regardless of direction. It is always a non-negative number. For example, |−5| = 5 and |5| = 5, because both −5 and 5 are exactly 5 units away from zero.
Absolute value is denoted by two vertical bars surrounding the number or expression — for example, |x|. So |−8| means 'the absolute value of −8', which equals 8.
No. By definition, absolute value is always zero or positive. The only number whose absolute value is zero is zero itself: |0| = 0. Every other number has a positive absolute value.
An absolute value equation contains an absolute value expression set equal to a value, such as |x + 3| = 7. To solve it, you set up two separate equations — one for the positive case and one for the negative case — and solve each independently.
Absolute value appears in many practical contexts. It is used in physics to express magnitude (e.g., speed without direction), in finance to measure the size of gains or losses, in engineering to calculate tolerances, and in programming to find differences between values regardless of sign.
Most programming languages and spreadsheet tools have a built-in absolute value function. In Python and JavaScript it is Math.abs(x), in Excel and Google Sheets it is =ABS(x), and in C/C++ it is abs(x) or fabs(x) for floating-point numbers.
No — the rule is the same. Simply remove the negative sign if present. For example, |−3.75| = 3.75 and |−1/2| = 1/2. The result is always the non-negative version of the number.
The sign of a number tells you its direction (positive = +1, negative = −1, zero = 0), while the absolute value tells you its magnitude. Together they fully describe a number: x = sign(x) × |x|.