Absolute valueFor a positive number, it is just the number. For a negative number it is it's positive value. So, the absolute value of 5 is 5, and the absolute value of -5 is 5 also. Absolute value is written like this:  | - 5 | = 5 with vertical bars around the number. You can think of absolute value as the distance from zero to your number. Now, here's a problem for you: What is | - 8 |? |