Question

why are absolute values used?​

Answer 1

Answer:

When you see an absolute value in a problem or equation, it means that whatever is inside the absolute value is always positive. Absolute values are often used in problems involving distance and are sometimes used with inequalities. ... That's the important thing to keep in mind it's just like distance away from zero.

Answer 2

Answer:

Absolute value tells you how far a number is from zero. But it doesn't tell you which way to go! It doesn't tell you what direction a number is from zero.