What it means
The size of a number without its sign, so |−3| = 3. For a complex number, its distance from zero; for a vector, its length.
Read aloud in real formulas
|x − 2| < 1
Aethel says
the absolute value of x minus 2, is less than 1
x is within 1 of 2
|z| = √(a² + b²)
Aethel says
the absolute value of z, equals the square root of the quantity a squared plus b squared
the modulus of a + bi
Typing it
- LaTeX
- |x|, \lvert x \rvert
- Unicode
- U+007C
Formulas that use it
Questions
How do you say |x| out loud?
It is usually read “the absolute value of x”, and also “mod x”.
What does |x| mean in maths?
The size of a number without its sign, so |−3| = 3. For a complex number, its distance from zero; for a vector, its length.
How do you type |x|?
In LaTeX, write |x|, \lvert x \rvert. Its Unicode code point is U+007C.