both the same distance from zero, one in the positive direction, the other in the negative direction.
a number of math problems can turn out this way: if they are set up the wrong way around, the answer will have the wrong sign, but still have the correct distance from zero. the idea of absolute value fixes this. by asking for the absolute value of the answer, we are asking for the magnitude of its distance from zero, regardless of direction. negative two is just as far from zero as positive two… they both have a “distance from zero” of two.
note that as you drop any negative sign, you should also 