Absolute difference

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Absolute Difference

The Absolute Difference (pronounced: /ˈæb.sə.luːt ˈdɪf.ər.əns/) is a mathematical concept used in various fields, including statistics, probability theory, and medicine. It is the absolute value of the difference between two numbers, disregarding the sign.

Etymology

The term "Absolute Difference" is derived from the Latin word "absolutus", meaning "detached, separate", and the English word "difference", which comes from the Latin "differentia", meaning "divergence, disagreement".

Definition

In mathematics, the absolute difference of two real numbers x, y is given by |xy|, the absolute value of their difference. It describes the distance on the real number line between the points corresponding to x and y. It is a special case of the L^p spaces for all 1 ≤ p ≤ ∞.

Application in Medicine

In medicine, the absolute difference is often used in epidemiology to measure the absolute effect size of a particular treatment or intervention. It is also used in biostatistics to compare the means of two groups, such as treatment and control groups in a randomized controlled trial.

Related Terms

  • Relative Difference: The relative difference is the ratio of the absolute difference to the larger of the two numbers. It is often expressed as a percentage.
  • Mean Absolute Difference: The mean absolute difference is the average of the absolute differences between pairs of numbers.
  • Absolute Deviation: The absolute deviation of an element of a data set is the absolute difference between that element and a given point.

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