Question

Angelique says that finding the absolute value of a number is the same as finding the opposite of the number. For example |-5|=5. Explain her error

Answer 1

Absolute value is the distance from zero on the number line, not the opposite number. Otherwise, absolute value would be negative when it can't be. For example, the absolute value of 5 is 5, not -5.

Answer 2

If it were always finding the opposite of the number, then
we would have to say that the absolute value of 7 is -7 .
We know that's not true.

It's better to tell Angelique that finding the absolute value
of a number means just looking at the size of the number
and ignoring its sign completely.