• Mossy Feathers (They/Them)@pawb.social
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    8 months ago

    It was my understanding that it’s like velocity vs speed. Positive/Negative numbers have a directional component, that is that they are above or below zero. Absolute values, however, lack a direction. They’re a value, but they don’t tell you if the value is positive or negative.

    • NegativeInf@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      8 months ago

      Absolute value shows only distance from the 0 value on the number line without the direction. All distances are positive when viewed without direction.