The absolute value of a number is its distance from 0 on the number line. Since distance is always greater than or equal to 0, the absolute value of any number is greater than or equal to 0.
- 1/2,
|1/4|,
5/8,
|- 3/4|,
|- 7/8|
Practice makes perfect
The absolute value of a number is its distance from 0 on the number line. Since distance is always greater than or equal to 0, the absolute value of any number is greater than or equal to 0. The absolute value of a non-negative number is equal to the number, while the absolute value of a negative number is equal to its opposite.
Now let's simplify the given numbers.
ccc
|- 3/4|= 3/4 [0.9em]
|1/4|= 1/4 [0.9em]
|- 7/8|= 7/8
We can also write the given fractions as decimals to make it easier to compare them.
Fraction
Quotient
3/4
0.75
5/8
0.625
1/4
0.25
- 1/2
- 0.5
7/8
0.875
Next, we will plot the numbers on a number line to see the order from least to greatest.
The number that is the farthest to the left is - 12, so it is the least from the list. The farthest to the right is |- 78|, so it is the greatest. We can write the numbers in order from least to greatest by moving from left to right on the number line.
- 1/2, |1/4|, 5/8, |- 3/4|, |- 7/8|
