The absolute value of imaginary and complex numbers
mathcentral.uregina.ca › QQ › databaseThe distance formula says the distance from the original to any point (x,y) is sqrt(x 2 + y 2), so the absolute value of 3+4i = sqrt(3 2 + 4 2) = 5. Notice that when you have a complex number with no imaginary part (such as 4+0i), the absolute value is the positive square root of the real part squared - in other words, the absolute value of the real part.