In this C++ tutorial, you will learn how to find the absolute value of given argument using abs() function of cmath, with syntax and examples.

C abs

C++ abs(x) returns absolute value of the argument x.

Syntax

The syntax of C++ abs() is

abs(x)

where

Parameter Description
x A double, float, long double, or integral type value.

Returns

The return value depends on the type of value passed for parameter x.

The return value of abs() is

  • double if x is double or integral type.
  • float if x is float.
  • long double if x is long double.

The synopsis of abs() function is

double abs(double x);
float abs(float x);
long double abs(long double x);
double abs(T x); // for integral type argument value

abs() is a function of cmath library. Include cmath library at the start of program, if using abs() function.

Example

In this example, we read a value from user into variable x, and find the absolute value of x using abs() function.

C++ Program

#include <iostream>
#include<cmath>
using namespace std;

int main() {
    double x;
    cout << "Enter x : ";
    cin >> x;

    double result = abs(x);
    cout << "abs(" << x << ") : " << result << endl;
}

Output

Enter x : -5
abs(-5) : 5
Program ended with exit code: 0
Enter x : -inf
abs(-inf) : inf
Program ended with exit code: 0
Enter x : 22
abs(22) : 22
Program ended with exit code: 0

Conclusion

In this C++ Tutorial, we learned the syntax of C++ abs(), and how to use this function to find the absolute value of given argument, with the help of examples.