In the algebra question 78 + (–43) + |–5|, what does the |–5| mean

78 + (-43) is 35, but what is 35 + |–5|? I haven't seen those bars before, and I can't find anything about them in the lesson. Apparently I got it wrong, so could someone please tell me what I'm supposed to do with it?

|number| is the ABSOLUTE VALUE, meaning the number inside's distance from zero. That way, there are no negative numbers.

For example, |-19| is nineteen spaces away from zero, so its value would be +19. That way, in a problem like 3+|-19|=x, the answer would be 21.

If there are more than two numbers in the absolute value symbols, such as |7•-4|, you would find the solution inside (just like you would for normal parentheses), and THEN find the absolute value. In this case, |7•-4| is the same as |-35|, so it really represents +35.

Basically, all you need to do is turn the number into a positive if it isn't already.

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For your problem:
78+(-43)+|-5|=
78-43+|-5|=
35+|-5|=
35+5=40.

The correct answer would be 40.

| -5 | means the absolute value. Meaning how much number you get from 5 to 0. The answer is positive 5.

78 + (- 43) + |- 5|

78 + (- 43) + 5

Use PEMDAS from left to right

The signs are different, you subtract

78 - 43 = 35

35 + 5 = 40

The answer is 40

{-5} means absolute value, meaning how far it is from 0 on the number line, which would be 5. So 78 - 43 is 35 + 5 is 40. Your answer is 40.

absolute value. |a| = -a or a.