SOLUTION: This seems like it would be so obvious but it's giving me a hard time... Can you help me with adding {{{abs(3pi -7)}}} and {{{abs(7pi -26)}}} I don't see how it can't be {{{1

To remove absolute value bars, you

1. Decide whether what is between the absolute value bars is a positive
number or a negative number.
2. If it is a positive number, simply replace the absolute value bars by
parentheses.
3. If it is a negative number, replace the absolute value bars by  
parentheses BUT PUT A - SIGN IN FRONT.

Between the absolute value bars of , we have
.  We know that  is approximately 3.14, so we
substitute 3.14 for  and see whether that is a positive number 
or a negative number:

.  That is a positive number.  Now we don't
want to use 2.42 because that is only approximate.  We just did that
to find out whether  is positive or negative.  We found out
that it is positive. So step 2 applies:

We just replace the absolute value bars by parentheses and so far we have:



Between the absolute value bars of , we have
.  We know that  is approximately 3.14, so we
substitute 3.14 for  and see whether that is a positive number 
or a negative number:

.  That is a negative number.  Now we don't
want to use -4.02 because that is only approximate.  We just did that
to find out whether  is positive or negative.  We found out
that it is negative. So step 3 applies:

We replace the absolute value bars by parentheses BUT WE PUT A - SIGN IN 
FRONT.



To keep two signs from coming together, we put brackets around the
second - sign and the parentheses:



Now we remove the parentheses inside the brackets:



Now we remove the parentheses and the bracket:



Collect like terms:



or so it won't begin with a -, make it



Edwin