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Cartesian Coordinates
Using Cartesian Coordinates you mark a point on a graph by how far
along and how far up it is:
X and Y Axis
The left-right (horizontal) direction is commonly
called X.
The up-down (vertical) direction is commonly
called Y.
Example:
Point (6,4) is
6 units across (in the x direction), and
4 units up (in the y direction)
So (6,4) means:
Play With It !
Now would be a good time to play with
Interactive Cartesian Coordinates
to see for yourself how it all works.
Direction
As x increases, the point moves further right.
When x decreases, the point moves further to the left.
Writing Coordinates
The coordinates are always written in a certain order:
(3,2)
Example: (3,2) means 3 units to the right, and 2 units up
Example: (0,5) means 0 units to the right, and 5 units up.
In other words, only 5 units up.
The Origin
The point (0,0) is given the special name "The Origin", and is sometimes given
the letter "O".
"Cartesian" ... ?
They are called Cartesian because the idea was developed by the
mathematician and philosopher Rene Descartes who was also known
asCartesius.
He is also famous for saying "I think, therefore I am".
go backwards for x
go down for y
Four Quadrants
When we include negative values, the x and y
axes divide the space up into 4 pieces:
Quadrants I, II, III and IV
Like this:
Quadrant
X
(horizontal)
Y
(vertical)
Example
Positive
Positive
(3,2)
II
Negative
Positive
III
Negative
Negative
IV
Positive
Negative
(-2,-1)
Example: The point "A" (3,2) is 3 units along, and 2 units up.
Both x and y are positive, so that point is in "Quadrant I"
Example: The point "C" (-2,-1) is 2 units along in the negative direction, and 1
unit down (i.e. negative direction).
Note: The word Quadrant comes form quad meaning four. For example, four
babies born at one birth are called quadruplets, a four-legged animal is
aquadruped. and a quadrilateral is a four-sided polygon.
left-right
left-right, and
up-down
How do we locate a spot in the real world (such as the tip of your nose)?
We need to know:
left-right,
up-down, and
forward-backward,
3 Dimensions
Cartesian coordinates can be used for locating points in 3 dimensions as in this
example: