SAT: Absolute value, scientific notation, and place value Quiz

Absolute value refers to how far a number is from zero. Thus, 2 and -2 have the same absolute value. The absolute value of a number must always be positive or (in the case of zero) 0. Scientific notation is a shorthand method of writing numbers that would be awkwardly lengthy. These are numbers that have many decimal places, whether they are relatively small (in which case the exponent will be negative) or large. You also need to be comfortable with place values, such as knowing where the hundreds digit place is or which digit is the units digit.