Question Video: Interpreting Absolute Value in a Real-World Situation Mathematics

Video Transcript

Emma and Natalie go to two different cities. When they leave, the outside temperature is 16 degrees C. When Emma arrives at her destination, the weather is sunny with a temperature of 22 degrees C, while Natalie finds rainy weather with a temperature of 12 degrees C. Express the difference between the temperature at their destination and that where they departed. Who experienced the largest temperature change?

The start temperature in both cases was 16 degrees Celsius. The temperature at Emma’s destination was 22 degrees Celsius. This is an increase of six degrees Celsius. The temperature at Natalie’s destination, on the other hand, was 12 degrees Celsius. This is a decrease of four degrees as the temperature has got lower. We can, therefore, conclude that the difference in temperature for Emma was positive six and the difference for Natalie was negative four.

The second part of the question asked us, which of the two experienced the largest temperature change? As an increase of six degrees is a greater change than a decrease of four degrees, Emma experienced the largest temperature change. The absolute value in the change for Emma was six, whereas for Natalie, it was four.