Positive Difference

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by GMATGuruNY » Tue May 06, 2014 9:32 am
[email protected] wrote:How do I get the positive difference between two mumbers

for example of I have -19 and -9 what is the positive difference
or -19 and 9

0r if both the numbers are positive for example 9 and 1?

Thanks
The positive difference between a and b = |a-b|.
Thus:
The positive difference between -19 and -9 = |-19 - (-9)| = |-10| = 10.
The positive difference between -19 and 9 = |-19 - 9| = |-28| = 28.
The positive difference between 9 and 1 = |9 - 1| = |8| = 8.

Essentially, the positive difference between 2 values is equal to the DISTANCE between the 2 values when they are plotted on a number line.
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