Make a negative number positive in Java

Question

Hi, I'm sure this is a very simple question! I have a Java method in which I'm summing a set of numbers. However, I want any negatives numbers to be treated as positives. So (1)+(2)+(1)+(-1) should equal 5. I'm sure there is very easy way of doing this - I just don't know how!! Any tips would be much appreciated.

Answer 1

Just call Math.abs?

Answer 2

Are you asking about absolute values?

Math.abs(...) is the function you probably want.

Answer 3

The concept you are describing is called "absolute value", and Java has a function called Math.abs to do it for you. Or you could avoid the function call and do it yourself:

number = (number < 0 ? -number : number);

or

if (number < 0)
    number = -number;

Answer 4

Use the abs function:

int sum=0;
for(Integer i : container)
  sum+=Math.abs(i);

Answer 5

The easiest, if verbose way to do this is to wrap each number in a Math.abs() call, so you would add:

Math.abs(1) + Math.abs(2) + Math.abs(1) + Math.abs(-1)

with logic changes to reflect how your code is structured. Verbose, perhaps, but it does what you want.

Answer 6

You're looking for absolute value, mate. Math.abs(-5) returns 5...

Answer 7

You want to wrap each number into Math.abs(). e.g.

System.out.println(Math.abs(-1));

prints out "1".

If you want to avoid writing the Math.-part, you can include the Math util statically. Just write

import static java.lang.Math.abs;

along with your imports, and you can refer to the abs()-function just by writing

System.out.println(abs(-1));

Answer 8

1 more

Why don't you use:

Ma..ab....

... Oh.