It's defined as the distance away from zero. So the absolute value of 5 is 5, but the absolute value of -4 is 4. The absolute value is NEVER negative. The absolute value of a negative number is the positive version of that number.
Absolute value is how many numbers away from 0 it is. Like if the number was 6, the absolute value would be 6. If the number was -9, then the absolute value is 9.
