Lecture Notes - The XY-Plane

A Crash Course
in College Algebra
The XY-Plane
By
Jonathan D. Williams
Copyright 20122014 Jonathan D. Williams
Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams
Overview
Lesson Objectives
Composition of the XY-Plane
Plotting Coordinate Points
The Distance Formula
The Slope Formula
Lesson Objectives
By the end of this presentation, you should be able to:
Understand the divisions of the xy-plane into its
quadrants
Plot any coordinate point on the xy-plane
Evaluate the distance between any two points on the xyplane
Evaluate the slope between any two points on the xyplane
In this section you will learn how about the properties

of the rectangular coordinate system
COMPOSITION OF THE XY-PLANE


The rectangular coordinate system is used to describe the
position of an ordered pair (, ) in relation to a fixed
reference point on a two-dimensional plane.
Also known as XY-plane
Input value of an ordered pair is the x-coordinate
Output value of an ordered pair is the y-coordinate

The XY-plane is visually depicted as the intersection of both
one horizontal number line and one vertical number line that
is, at times, superimposed over a grid
X-axis: the horizontal number line
Y-axis: the vertical number line
Origin: the point of intersection between the x- and y-axis;
has the coordinate point (0,0)
6
5
4
3
2
1
1
2
Origin
,
3
4
5
6

Both the x- and y-axis divide the plane into four sections
called quadrants.
Quadrants are numbered from 1 to 4 starting from the
top-right section going counter-clockwise
All points to the right of the y-axis (Quadrants 1 and 4)
have positive x-coordinates
All points above the x-axis (Quadrants 1 and 2) have
positive y-coordinates
II
5
4
<
>
>
>
2
1
III
<
<
2
3
4
5
6
IV
>
<
In this section you will learn how to plot any

coordinate point on the xy-plane
PLOTTING COORDINATE POINTS


All ordered pairs in the form (, ) are positioned on the XYplane in relation to the origin (0,0).
The x-coordinate determines the horizontal distance from
the origin
If is positive, move right units from the origin
If is negative, move left units from the origin
The y-coordinate determines the vertical distance from

the origin
If is positive, move up units from the origin
If is negative, move down units from the origin

How to Plot a Coordinate Point, (, )
Begin at the origin.
If is positive, move units directly to the right of the
origin. Otherwise, move units directly to the left of the
origin.
Note your new position.
If is positive, move units directly upward from your
new position. Otherwise, move units directly downward
from your new position.
Label this final position as (, ), substituting and
with their respective values.

Plot the coordinate point
6,5 on the xy-plane.
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
2

7
6
Begin by plotting a point at

the origin, 0,0 .
4
3
2
,
2
1
2

7
6
Since the x-coordinate is 6,

move the point 6 units to
the right along the x-axis.
Note the new position.
4
3
2
,
2
1
2

7
6
Since the y-coordinate is 5,

move the point 5 units
upward from its previous
location, and label the final
position.
4
3
2
1
2
In this section you will learn how to evaluate the

distance between any two coordinate points on the xyplane
THE DISTANCE FORMULA


The distance formula is used to determine the length of a line
segment drawn between any two points on the XY-plane.
If two sets of coordinate points on the XY-plane are known
namely (1 , 1 ) and (2 , 2 )the distance between the points
is given by the equation:
= 2 1 2 + 2 1 2
or
= 1 2 2 + 1 2 2
NOTE: Both equations yield the same final result.

The distance formula is actually a variant of the Pythagorean
Theorem, which is used to relate all three side lengths of any
right triangle to one another.
The proof of this is explained on the next few slides.

Plot any two coordinate
points on the xy-plane. For
instance, (2,2) and 6,5 .
7
6
4
3
2
1
2

The distance between the
points (2,2) and 6,5 is
represented by the green
line segment, whereas the
horizontal and vertical
displacements are shown
by the blue and red lines,
respectively.
7
6
4
3
2
1
1
2
Notice that the shape

formed by the three line
segments is a right triangle.

From observation, it is clear
that the length of the blue
line segment is 4 and the
length of the red line
segment is 3.
7
6
However, what is the length

of the green line segment?
1
2

The Pythagorean Theorem,
which is given by the
equation
2 + 2 = 2 ,
allows one to determine the
length of the green line
segment given the known
values of and .
7
6
3
2
1
2

Rewrite the equation to
solve for :
= 2 + 2 .
Next, substitute the values
for and . Into the
equation and simplify the
result.
3
2
+ 3
= 16 + 9
= 25
=5

So how, exactly, does the
Distance Formula relate to
this result?
7
6
3
2
1
1
2
The value of is the

difference between the xcoordinates of the two
points. Similarly, the value
of is the difference
between
the
two
ycoordinates.
= 4 = 6 2 = 2 1
= 3 = 5 2 = 2 1

Revisit
the
simplified
Pythagorean Theorem and
replace with . The
equation now becomes:
7
6
3
2
1
1
= 2 + 2 .
Now substitute with
2 1 and with 2 1 .
This yields:
=
2 1
+ 2 1


Find the distance between the coordinate points (2, 1) and
(4,7).

(4,7).
Distance
Process
Solution Steps
Write the distance formula.
Identify the given coordinate points, 1 , 1 and

2 , 2 .
Substitute the given coordinate points into the

formula.
Evaluate the equation.
2 1
+ 2 1
1 , 1 2, 1
2 , 2 4,7
=
4 2
= 4+2 2+ 7+1
= 6 2+ 8 2
= 36 + 64
= 100
= 10
7 1
2

(4,7).
Answer:
The distance between (2, 1) and 4,7 is 10 units.
In this section you will learn how to evaluate the slope

between any two coordinate points on the xy-plane
THE SLOPE FORMULA

The Slope Formula

The slope formula is used to determine the steepness of a
line segment between any two points in the XY-plane, and is
measured as the ratio between the change in y-values ()
and the change in x-values ().
Properties
Also referred to as the average rate of change, the slope
represents the change in the output value for each unit
change of the input value
Generally represented in equations by the parameter
The Slope Formula

Use the equation below to evaluate the slope of a line that
intersects the points 1 , 1 and 2 , 2 .
2 1
=
=
2 1
or
1 2
=
=
1 2
NOTE: Both equations yield the same result.
The Slope Formula

Find the slope of the line segment between the coordinate
points (2, 1) and (4,7).
The Slope Formula

points (2, 1) and (4,7).
Slope
Process
Solution Steps
Write the slope formula.
Identify the given coordinate points, 1 , 1 and

2 , 2 .
Substitute the given coordinate points into the

formula.
Evaluate the equation.
2 1
2 1
1 , 1 2, 1
2 , 2 4,7
=
=
7 1
4 2
7+1 8 4
= =
4+2 6 3
4
3
The Slope Formula

points (2, 1) and (4,7).
Answer:
The slope of the line segment between (2, 1) and 4,7 is

Lecture Notes - The XY-Plane

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A Crash Course

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

In this section you will learn how about the properties

COMPOSITION OF THE XY-PLANE

Composition of the XY-Plane

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

Composition of the XY-Plane

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

Composition of the XY-Plane

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

Composition of the XY-Plane

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

Composition of the XY-Plane

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

In this section you will learn how to plot any

PLOTTING COORDINATE POINTS

Plotting Coordinate Points

The y-coordinate determines the vertical distance from

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

Plotting Coordinate Points

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

Plotting Coordinate Points

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

Plotting Coordinate Points

Begin by plotting a point at

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

Plotting Coordinate Points

Since the x-coordinate is 6,

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

Plotting Coordinate Points

Since the y-coordinate is 5,

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

In this section you will learn how to evaluate the

THE DISTANCE FORMULA

The Distance Formula

NOTE: Both equations yield the same final result.

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

The Distance Formula

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

The Distance Formula

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

The Distance Formula

Notice that the shape

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

The Distance Formula

However, what is the length

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

The Distance Formula

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

The Distance Formula

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

The Distance Formula

The value of is the

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

The Distance Formula

The Distance Formula

The Distance Formula

Copyright 2012-2014 Jonathan D. Williams

The Distance Formula

Write the distance formula.

Identify the given coordinate points, 1 , 1 and

Substitute the given coordinate points into the

Evaluate the equation.