The
absolute difference of two
real numbers x,
y is given by |
x -
y|, the
absolute value of their
difference. It describes the distance on the real line between the points corresponding to
x and
y. It is a special case of the
Lp distance for all 1 =
p = 8 and is the standard
metric used for both the set of
rational numbers Q and their completion, the set of real numbers
R.