Absolute value function
This article is about a particular function from a subset of the real numbers to the real numbers. Information about the function, including its domain, range, and key data relating to graphing, differentiation, and integration, is presented in the article.
View a complete list of particular functions on this wiki
The absolute value function, denoted as or , is defined as the function that sends a real number to itself if it is nonnegative and to its negative if it is negative.
The absolute value of is denoted or . It can be defined in many equivalent ways.
As a piecewise linear function
As a max of two functions
The absolute value function can be defined as:
In other words, it is obtained by applying the pointwise maximum to the following two functions: the identity function and the negative of the identity function.