Answer: 5
Step-by-step explanation: Before taking the absolute value of a number, always simplify what's in the absolute value as much as possible.
So here we have 3 - 8 inside the absolute value which can also be thought of as 3 + (-8) or -5.
So now we have the absolute value of -5.
Absolute value means distance from zero on a number line. So for the absolute value of -5, we know that -5 is 5 units from zero on the number line. This means that the absolute value of -5 is 5.
Therefore, the absolute value of |3-8| is 5.