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Dictionary


ab'solute val'ue



Math.
1. the magnitude of a quantity, irrespective of sign; the distance of a quantity from zero. The absolute value of a number is symbolized by two vertical lines, as ||3|| or ||-3|| is 3.
2. the square root of the sum of the squares of the real and imaginary parts of a given complex number, as ||a + bi|| is equal to root 2 of a^2b^2. Also called modulus.

Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.

absolute temperature scaleabsolute zero
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