# abs

## Purpose

Absolute value and string to numeric conversion.

## Synopsis

    Y = abs(X)

## Description

`abs(X)` returns the absolute value for each element of `X`.

If `X` is complex, `abs(X)` returns the complex modulus (magnitude):

    abs(X) = sqrt(real(X).^2+imag(X).^2)

If `X` is a MATLAB string, `abs(X)` returns the numeric values of the ASCII characters in the string. The way the string prints changes; the internal representation does not.

## Examples

    abs(-5) = 5
    abs(3+4i) = 5
    abs('3+4i') = [51  32  43  32  52  105]

## See Also

    angle, setstr, sign, strings, unwrap

(c) Copyright 1994 by The MathWorks, Inc.