MySQL ABS() function

ABS() function

MySQL ABS() returns the absolute (positive) value of a number.

This function is useful in -

• It allows you to disregard the sign (positive or negative) of a number and work only with its magnitude.
• ABS() ensures that you're always working with positive values, reducing the likelihood of errors that can occur due to unexpected negative values.
• In applications like GIS (Geographic Information Systems), physics simulations, or navigation systems, ABS() is used to calculate distances between points regardless of their direction.
• ABS() is a fundamental function for calculating absolute deviations.
• In statistics, absolute deviation is used to quantify the variability or spread of a dataset.
• In scenarios where only positive results are meaningful, ABS() is applied to ensure that the output is always positive, regardless of the input.

Syntax:

 ABS(N); 

Argument:

Syntax Diagram:

MySQL Version: 8.0

Pictorial presentation of MySQL ABS() function

Example:

The following MySQL statement will return the absolute value of a positive number specified in the argument.

Code:

SELECT ABS(5);

Output:

mysql> SELECT ABS(5);
+--------+
| ABS(5) |
+--------+
|      5 | 
+--------+
1 row in set (0.01 sec)

Example : ABS() function using negative value

The following MySQL statement will return the absolute value of a negative number defined in the argument.

Code:

SELECT ABS(-5);

Output:

mysql> SELECT ABS(-5);
+---------+
| ABS(-5) |
+---------+
|       5 | 
+---------+
1 row in set (0.01 sec)

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