1) Absolute value is a number's distance from zero, which is always a positive value. Absolute value symbols indicate one is calculating distance from zero, regardless of the number's positive or negative value. 2) The document provides examples of using absolute values to determine the magnitudes of quantities. It explains that -5 has a greater magnitude than 4, even though 4 is a larger number, because the distance of -5 from zero is greater. 3) Absolute values are used to write equations representing the distances traveled by a student between classrooms, with the starting point as zero. This allows determining distances regardless of traveling left or right within the school.