The absolute value is the positive magnitude of a particular number or variable and is indicated by two vertical lines: \(\left|-5\right| = 5\). In the case of a variable absolute value (\(\left|a\right| = 5\)) the value of a can be either positive or negative (a = -5 or a = 5).

A rational number (or fraction) is represented as a ratio between two integers, a and b, and has the form \({a \over b}\) where a is the numerator and b is the denominator. An improper fraction (\({5 \over 3} \)) has a numerator with a greater absolute value than the denominator and can be converted into a mixed number (\(1 {2 \over 3} \)) which has a whole number part and a fractional part.

Latoya scored 78% on the test meaning she earned 78% of the possible points on the test. There were 80 possible points on the test so she earned 80 x 0.78 = 62 points. Each question is worth 2 points so she got \( \frac{62}{2} \) = 31 questions right.

By buying two shirts, Frank will save $27 x \( \frac{40}{100} \) = \( \frac{$27 x 40}{100} \) = \( \frac{$1080}{100} \) = $10.80 on the second shirt.

So, his total cost will be
$27.00 + ($27.00 - $10.80)
$27.00 + $16.20
$43.20

A factor is a positive integer that divides evenly into a given number. For example, the factors of 8 are 1, 2, 4, and 8.