Lecture 7 (College Algebra)

By the piecewise definition |x| = x if x ≥ 0 and |x| = −x if x < 0, how is |−5| evaluated?

1. A.−5 is negative, so the rule gives −x, namely −(−5) = 5
2. B.−5 is negative, so the rule gives x, namely −5 itself
3. C.−5 is positive, so the rule gives x, namely 5
4. D.−5 equals 0, so the rule gives 0 in this case