Simplify the expression.

|-5 - 8|

-12

-13

12

13

Answer: 13

Step-by-step explanation: Before taking the absolute value of a number, always simplify what's inside the absolute value as much as possible.

So here we have - 5 - 8 inside the absolute value which can be thought of as - 5 + - 8 or - 13. So we have |-13| which is + 13.

Remember, absolute value means distance from zero on a number line so the absolute value of any number will be the positive version of that number.