Solving Absolute Value Expressions
Absolute value refers to the magnitude of a value, regardless of its sign. The
absolute of x is written as |x|. This chapter is important as we see many quantities
that cannot be represented as a negative integer, so we need to learn how to
represent them without focusing on the signs. Such quantities include length, speed,
For example, the absolute value of -3 is 3 because -3 is 3 units away from 0.
This could be written using math symbols such as |-3| = 3. On the other hand, 3
is also 3 units away from 0. So |3| = 3 is also true. |-3| = 3 and |3| = 3.
|x + 6| = 2 there are two possible solutions for x: the absolute value sign is equal
to either 2 or -2, as it only shows magnitude and not sign.
To solve for x, we can set up two different equations
x + 6 = 2 and x + 6 = -2.
By solving for the two equations, we get
x = -4 or x = -8
Hence, we should always remain aware that there may be more than one value for
absolute value functions.
Properties of Absolute Values:
If |x| = a and a>0, then x=a or -a
This is true because here we have the absolute value of x which is positive, and
we must remember that the actual value of x might still be the same magnitude
but with a negative sign.
If |x|<a and a>0, then -a<x<a
Here, the magnitude of x is less than a. This would mean that the magnitude of x is
also less than -a if x is negative, so we understand that our x lies somewhere
between a and -a.
If |x|>a and a>0, then x>a or x<-a
This is the same logic as the previous property, but it has been reversed as now, the
magnitude of x will be greater than a, so if x is negative, its magnitude will also be
greater than -a.
|x|<5 and x2<25 so -5<x<5
|x|>5 and x2>25 so x<-5 or x>5
|x-10|=|10-x| (This an important rule as it can be used to see if values are
equally far from a certain fixed value)
SAT with TALAL 1
How do we convert the general interval into an expression using the absolute
value?
For 10 < x < 30,
Step 1: Find the midpoint of 10 and 30 so (10+30)/2 = 20
Step 2: Find the distance from the midpoint to the end point so 30-20=10 or
20-10=10
Step 3: Substitute in the form:
|x-midpoint| < distance
Therefore,
|x-20| < 10, so the difference between x and 20 will always be less than 10 in
magnitude, even if the direction is different.
SAT with TALAL 2
