Hi Bryan,
Yes.
But, notice the absolute value signs (the vertical bars)? Thus, it doesn't matter the order in which the math is done.
So if we say that f1 = 100 Hz and f2 = 110 Hz,
Then, f1 - f2 or f2 - f1 will result in -10 Hz and 10 Hz, respectively, and |f1 - f2| and |f2 - f1| are BOTH equal to 10 Hz. So, the equations are the same thing! 😀
Overall, the beat frequency formula tells you the MAGNITUDE (or the +/-, like that said).