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abs ​

Returns the absolute value of a number. Supports both regular numbers and bigint.

Implementation ​

View Source Code
ts
/**
 * Returns the absolute value of a number.
 * Supports both regular numbers and bigint.
 *
 * @example
 * ```ts
 * abs(-5); // 5
 * abs(3); // 3
 * abs(-100n); // 100n
 * ```
 *
 * @param value - The number or bigint to get absolute value of
 * @returns Absolute value
 */
export function abs(value: number): number;
export function abs(value: bigint): bigint;
export function abs(value: number | bigint): number | bigint {
  if (typeof value === 'bigint') {
    return value < 0n ? -value : value;
  }
  return Math.abs(value);
}

Features ​

  • Type-Safe: Separate overloads for number and bigint
  • Precision: Works with bigint for financial calculations
  • Simple API: Single parameter, straightforward behavior
  • Isomorphic: Works in both Browser and Node.js

API ​

ts
function abs(value: number): number;
function abs(value: bigint): bigint;

Parameters ​

  • value: The number or bigint to get absolute value of

Returns ​

  • Absolute value of the input (same type as input)

Examples ​

Basic Number Absolute Value ​

ts
import { abs } from '@vielzeug/toolkit';

abs(-5); // 5
abs(5); // 5
abs(-3.14); // 3.14
abs(0); // 0

BigInt Absolute Value ​

ts
import { abs } from '@vielzeug/toolkit';

abs(-100n); // 100n
abs(100n); // 100n
abs(-999999n); // 999999n

Real-World Example: Distance Calculation ​

ts
import { abs } from '@vielzeug/toolkit';

function calculateDistance(a: number, b: number): number {
  return abs(a - b);
}

calculateDistance(10, 5); // 5
calculateDistance(5, 10); // 5

Financial Example: Absolute Difference ​

ts
import { abs } from '@vielzeug/toolkit';

const expected = 100000n; // $1,000.00
const actual = 95000n; // $950.00

const difference = abs(expected - actual);
// 5000n ($50.00)

Handling Negative Balances ​

ts
import { abs } from '@vielzeug/toolkit';

const balance = -15000n; // -$150.00 (debt)
const debtAmount = abs(balance);
// 15000n ($150.00)

Temperature Difference ​

ts
import { abs } from '@vielzeug/toolkit';

const temp1 = -5; // -5°C
const temp2 = 10; // 10°C

const tempDifference = abs(temp1 - temp2);
// 15 (15°C difference)

Implementation Notes ​

  • For numbers, uses Math.abs() internally
  • For bigint, uses conditional negation: value < 0n ? -value : value
  • Always returns the same type as the input (number → number, bigint → bigint)
  • Handles zero correctly (returns 0 or 0n)
  • Useful for distance calculations, differences, and magnitude comparisons
  • Perfect for financial calculations when you need the magnitude regardless of sign

See Also ​