Sorting absolute value word problems

The  exercise appears under the 6th Grade Math Mission. This exercise practices ordering rational numbers and their relative sizes.

Types of Problems
There is one type of problem in this exercise:


 * 1) Order the numbers and their magnitudes: This problem provides a contextual situation with three values, possibly including any types of rational numbers. The student is asked to order them from least to greatest, and also order their absolute values from least to greatest.Srn1.png

Strategies
The exercise is straightforward with a number line model of the rational numbers and an ability to take absolute value.
 * 1) Absolute value is the magnitude of a number.
 * 2) The numbers or the absolute values could be first, so it is important to read carefully.

Real-life applications

 * 1) Ordering numbers like this can be used to compare sizes, altitudes, values or relative distances when objects can be above or below certain baseline values.
 * 2) In physics and calculus this exercise can be viewed as related to the difference between velocity and speed.