= ABS(expression)

The ABS command is a mathematical function that returns the absolute value of a number. In essence, it removes the negative sign from a number, always returning a positive or zero value. The parameter expression is the value whose absolute value you want to calculate. This can be a constant numeric value, a variable, or a mathematical expression.

The ABS command is very useful in several situations. When calculating the distance between two points, the absolute value ensures that the distance is always positive, regardless of the order in which you consider the points. You can use ABS inside conditions to test whether a value is greater than or less than a certain threshold, ignoring the sign. In many applications, you need to work with absolute values to avoid errors or unexpected results.

The ABS command can be applied only to integers.

  ' Calculate the distance between two abscissa
  distance = ABS(x1 - x2)

See also the following example files:

• maths_abs_01.bas
• contrib_if_test_speed.bas

 Ab

• Atari (400/800)
• Atari XL/XE
• Commodore 128 (MOS 8502)
• Commodore 128 (Zilog Z80)
• Commodore 64
• Commodore 64+REU
• TRS-80 Color Computer
• TRS-80 Color Computer 3
• ColecoVision
• Amstrad CPC 664
• Dragon 32
• Dragon 64
• Thomson MO5
• Thomson MO5
• Olivetti Prodest PC128
• Commodore PLUS/4
• SEGA SC-3000
• SEGA SG-1000
• VG-5000
• Commodore VIC-20
• ZX Spectrum 48

If you have encountered a problem using this command, if you think there is a bug or the explanation is unclear, please open an issue for this keyword on GitHub. Thank you!