In 
mathematics, the 
absolute value (or 
modulus) | 
a | of a 
real number a is the numerical value of a without regard to its 
sign. So, for example, the absolute value of 3 is 3, and the absolute value of –3 is also 3. The absolute value of a 
number may be thought of as its 
distance from zero.
Generalizations of the absolute value for real numbers occur in a wide variety of mathematical settings. For example an absolute value 
is also defined for the 
complex numbers, the 
quaternions, 
ordered rings, 
fields and 
vector spaces. The absolute value is closely related to the notions of 
magnitude, 
distance, and 
norm in various mathematical and physical contexts.                            
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