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No. Distance is never negative, and total distance travelled doesn't decrease during a trip. The distance from A to B is the same as the distance from B to A.
Displacement, on the other hand, can be negative, and can decrease during a trip. The displacement from A to B is the same magnitude, but opposite sign, as the displacement from B to A.
An example would be if you went from your home to a friend's house 1 mile to the east. After you reach your friend's house, you have travelled a distance of 1 mile and your displacement from your starting position is 1 mile. When you come back home from your friends house, you travel a distance of 1 more mile. Your total distance travelled is now 2 miles, but your displacement from your starting location is zero (because you are back where you started.)
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Can absolute value ever be negative?
No. An absolute value will always be positive, as it is a measurement of distance from zero on a number line.* * * * *Pedantically, not quite! It will always be non-negative: it can be 0.
Can the mean ever be negative?
Yes, if you are averaging numbers that include negative numbers.
What is the distance between 15 and negative 2?
13
What is the distance between 0 and -13 on the number line?
13
Can a square root ever be negative?
Yes.
