## anonymous 4 years ago Which value is farther from zero: -4 1/3 or 4.3? explain

1. anonymous

2. anonymous

If you mean $$\Large 4.\bar 3$$ (i.e. 4.3333...) then they are the same distance away from zero. Otherwise, -4 1/3 is farther away, since 4.33333... is greater than 4.3. Think of them as being on a number line - the magnitude of their value is how far away they are from 0.

3. anonymous

How is -4 1/3 4.3 though?

4. anonymous

?

5. anonymous

It's not. It's not saying that -4 1/3 = 4.3 - but its distance from 0 is the same (again I'm assuming we're talking about 4.333... here). Think of all real numbers as being a particular distance from 0. If you take their absolute value - which is their magnitude - then it gives you the 'distance' they are from 0. Think of a number line of all real numbers, with 0 at the centre, all negative numbers being on the left and all positive numbers on the right. If you take -4 1/3 (which is -4.333...) then you move 4.333... places to the left of 0. If you take 4.333... then you move 4.333... places to the right of 0. They're not the same number, but they're the same magnitude, the same distance from 0.

6. anonymous

oh ok thank yyou so much?

7. anonymous

No worries. Hopefully it helps a bit. Google "number line" if you're struggling to visualise the concept.

8. anonymous

ok