Interpret absolute value as distance and use it to compare quantities and errors.
Interpret absolute value as error size
Problem
A student predicted that a plant would grow \(42~\text{centimeters}\) in a month, but it actually grew \(37~\text{centimeters}\). What is the size of the prediction error?
Big Picture
What this problem is really about
Prediction error means the size of the gap between the predicted and actual growth, not a signed direction. Subtract the two measurements and take the absolute value so the result is nonnegative. Interpret that distance in centimeters as how far the prediction was from what actually happened.
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