Rational Numbers, Absolute Value & Ordering

How the lesson starts: Rational Numbers, Absolute Value & Ordering

Welcome to Pelican Bay
Welcome to Pelican Bay! The top of the water is sea level, and we call it zero. Pip the pelican flies above it. Coral the diver swims below it. Numbers below zero are negative numbers. Let's dive in!
Numbers below zero
Pip flies 3 feet above sea level, so Pip is at 3. Coral dives 4 feet below sea level, so Coral is at −4. On a number line, farther left means less, so −4 < 3. And −7 is less than −2, because it's deeper!
Absolute value
Absolute value means distance from zero. Coral is at −6. Count her hops back to zero: 6 steps. So |−6| = 6. Pip at 6 is also 6 steps away: |6| = 6. A distance is never negative!