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Ch. P - Fundamental Concepts of Algebra
Blitzer - College Algebra 8th Edition
Blitzer8th EditionCollege AlgebraISBN: 9780136970514Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 1, Problem 51

Rewrite each expression without absolute value bars. |300|

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1
Recall that the absolute value of a number, denoted by \(|x|\), represents the distance of \(x\) from zero on the number line, and it is always non-negative.
Since 300 is a positive number, the absolute value of 300 is simply 300 itself.
Therefore, the expression \(|300|\) can be rewritten without the absolute value bars as 300.
In general, for any positive number \(a\), \(|a| = a\).
No further simplification is needed because 300 is already a positive number.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Absolute Value Definition

The absolute value of a number represents its distance from zero on the number line, always as a non-negative value. For any real number x, |x| equals x if x is positive or zero, and -x if x is negative.
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Properties of Absolute Value

Absolute value has key properties such as |a| ≥ 0, |ab| = |a||b|, and |a/b| = |a|/|b| (b ≠ 0). Understanding these helps simplify expressions involving absolute values by removing the bars correctly.
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Simplifying Expressions Without Absolute Value

To rewrite expressions without absolute value bars, determine the sign of the expression inside. If it is non-negative, remove the bars directly; if negative, multiply the inside by -1 to express it without absolute value.
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