Question

Compare and contrast the absolute value of a real number to that of a complex number

Answer 1

Sample Response: The absolute value of a real number is the distance from 0 on the number line. The absolute value of a complex number is the distance from the origin in the complex plane. Both are distances, and therefore both are positive values. You need to use the distance formula or the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the absolute value of a complex number.

Answer 2

Explanation:

The complex number is the distance from the origin to the point in the complex plane. On the other hand the absolute value of a real number is positive value of a number which means that the absolute value is the distance from zero on the number line.

We can write a complex number in a standard form as: (a+bi)

where a and b are real values if b=0 then a+bi = a which is a real number. If b≠0 then it is an imaginary number. The absolute value is given by:

| a+bi |= √a²+b² ....