Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science

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What does the Abs() function calculate?

Square of a number
Distance from zero
Maximum of two numbers
Reciprocal of a number

The correct answer is: Distance from zero

The Abs() function is specifically designed to calculate the absolute value of a number, which represents its distance from zero on the number line. In this context, the absolute value disregards any negative sign, meaning that both positive and negative numbers will yield a non-negative result. For instance, using the Abs() function on -5 would return 5, and using it on 3 would return 3. This characteristic is essential in many mathematical and computational applications where only the magnitude of a number matters, and the sign is irrelevant. Understanding this concept is crucial, as calculating the absolute value is a fundamental operation in programming and mathematics, commonly used in various algorithms and data analyses.