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# Lesson 6.1: Absolute Values

## Symbols

$\text{vertical bar}$
⠸⠳

## Explanation

The absolute value of a numeral is its distance from zero on a number line. Absolute value is shown in print by placing a vertical bar on both sides of the numeral. In braille the vertical bar is formed with two cells, dots four five six in the first cell and dots one two five six in the second cell. The same symbol is used for open and close.

### Example 1

$|6|=6$
⠸⠳⠼⠋⠸⠳⠀⠐⠶⠀⠼⠋

### Example 2

$|-3|=3$
⠸⠳⠐⠤⠼⠉⠸⠳⠀⠐⠶⠀⠼⠉

### Example 3

$|-2.5|=2.5$
⠸⠳⠐⠤⠼⠃⠲⠑⠸⠳⠀⠐⠶⠀⠼⠃⠲⠑

### Example 4

$|2-6|=|-4|=4$
⠸⠳⠼⠃⠐⠤⠼⠋⠸⠳⠀⠐⠶⠀⠸⠳⠐⠤⠼⠙⠸⠳⠀⠐⠶⠀⠼⠙

### Example 5

$||-3|+|2||=|5|=5$
⠸⠳⠸⠳⠐⠤⠼⠉⠸⠳⠐⠖⠸⠳⠼⠃⠸⠳⠸⠳⠀⠐⠶⠀⠸⠳⠼⠑⠸⠳⠀⠐⠶⠀⠼⠑

The grade 1 indicator is not used before the letter y in Example 6 because the letter is not standing alone. The vertical bar is not included in the list of common punctuation symbols that can intervene between the letter and the preceding and/or following space, hyphen or dash.

### Example 6

$|y|$
⠸⠳⠽⠸⠳

### Example 7

$-|-7|=-7$
⠐⠤⠸⠳⠐⠤⠼⠛⠸⠳⠀⠐⠶⠀⠐⠤⠼⠛

### Example 8

$\text{What is the value of}\phantom{\rule{.3em}{0ex}}|-8|\text{?}$
⠠⠱⠁⠞⠀⠊⠎⠀⠮⠀⠧⠁⠇⠥⠑⠀⠷⠀⠸⠳⠐⠤⠼⠓⠸⠳⠦

### Example 9

$|-\frac{1}{3}|$
⠸⠳⠐⠤⠼⠁⠌⠉⠸⠳

Follow print for spacing of shapes. When a shape is not followed by a space, the shape terminator is used. The shape terminator is dots one five six.

### Example 10

$2◯|-4|$
⠼⠃⠫⠿⠱⠸⠳⠐⠤⠼⠙⠸⠳