CARTESIAN

COORDINATES
 OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, you will learn
how to:
• Name the coordinates of points located
on the 2-D Cartesian plane
• Locate points on the 2-D Cartesian plane
 Instructions
• Each row will be numbered 1, 2, 3 … from
front to back.
• Each column will be numbered 1, 2, 3 … from
left to right.
• Each student will be seated at a particular
column and row.
 Classroom Seating Plan

Teacher’s Table

5 4 3 2 1
1 Nic Fay Dan Zul Tay

2 Ann Ken Gek Hon Tan

3 Ng Pho Min Ray Flo

4 Ix Joe Bax Ali Raj Row

5 Kim Yoo Jay Ben Pam

Column
Ordered pair
(x , y )

Column Row

Example
( 3, 4 ) represents Column 3, Row 4.
Example: ( 2 , 2 ) ( 4 , 2 )

1. ( 1 , 3 ) ( 3 , 2 )

2. ( 2 , 4 ) ( 5 , 1 )

3. ( 5 , 3 ) ( 4 , 1 )

4. ( 1 , 4 ) ( 2 , 1 )
Question 1

Are the ordered pairs ( 4, 2 ) and ( 2, 4 )

equal? Why?

Answer : ( 4, 2 ) = ( 2, 4 )

Now you know why it is called an

ordered pair.
Question 2

If all of us change our seats now, will the

same student still sit at ( 1, 3 ) ? NO

Therefore the ordered pair identifies

the location, not the student.

Now you know why the game is

called “ Where Am I”, not “ Who
Am I”.
Illustration 1

At the beginning of the new school year, Mr.

Jay Chou, a teacher at ABC Secondary School,
will prepare a classroom seating arrangement
plan in order to know his students quickly.
 Classroom Seating Plan

Column

5 Nic Fay Dan Zul Tay

4 Ann Ken Gek Hon Tan Can you describe

where Pho is
3 Ng Pho Min Ray Flo
seated?
2 Ix Joe Bax Ali Raj

1 Kim Yoo Jay Ben Pam Row

1 2 3 4 5

Teacher’s Table
 Classroom Seating Plan

Column

5 Nic Fay Dan Zul Tay

4 Ann Ken Gek Hon Tan

3 Ng Pho Min Ray Flo

2 Ix Joe Bax Ali Raj

1 Kim Yoo Jay Ben Pam Row

1 2 3 Pho
4 is seated
5 at Column 2, Row 3.
( 2, 3 )
Teacher’s Table
 Classroom Seating Plan

Column

5 Nic Fay Dan Zul Tay

4 Ann Ken Gek Hon Tan Who sits at

Column 3, Row 4
3 Ng Pho Min Ray Flo
i.e. ( 3, 4 ) ?
2 Ix Joe Bax Ali Raj

1 Kim Yoo Jay Ben Pam Row

1 2 3 4 5

Teacher’s Table
 Classroom Seating Plan

Column

5 Nic Fay Dan Zul Tay

4 Ann Ken Gek Hon Tan

3 Ng Pho Min Ray Flo

2 Ix Joe Bax Ali Raj

1 Kim Yoo Jay Gek at Column

Ben sitsPam Row3, Row 4.
1 2 3 4 5 ( 3, 4 )

Teacher’s Table
Illustration 2

During the holidays, you

decided to watch the movie,
Lilo & Stitch.

You bought a ticket and were

given the seat number, F18.
This is the cinema seating arrangement.
Can you identify where your seat is?
Did you get it right?
Consolidation

From the 2 illustrations, you would have

realised that we may describe or identify
locations by using 2 dimensions, namely
columns and rows.

We may use an ordered pair

( x, y ) to represent columns
and rows.
 PART I

INTRODUCTION TO THE
RECTANGULAR COORDINATE
SYSTEM
The Rectangular Plane
y-axis
The figure on the right
shows a rectangular or
cartesian plane consisting
of two perpendicular
numbered lines. x-axis

The vertical line is

known as the y-axis.

The horizontal line is known

as the x-axis.
The Rectangular Plane
y-axis

Hence the x-axis

represents all the
columns in the plane.
x-axis
The y-axis represents
all the rows in the
plane.
The Origin
y-axis
The point where the two
axes meet is called the
origin
origin.

The origin is a point x-axis

of reference to help
locate a point.
The Origin
y-axis
Question

Name the ordered pair origin

which represents the
origin. x-axis

Answer: ( 0 , 0 )
Ordered Pairs
y-axis
Used to represent a
location at a particular ( 6 , 4 )
column and row. Row 4

( x , y ) x-axis
Column 6
( column , row )

Hence ( 6 , 4 ) represents
the point at column 6 row 4.
Ordered Pairs

• The ordered pair also represents the distance

of the point from the x and y axes
respectively, with respect to the origin.

( x , y )

Distance (left/right) Distance (up/down)

along the x-axis along the y-axis
with respect to the with respect to the
origin origin
Worked example 1
y-axis
 ( 6 ,
4 ) 4 units
( 6 , 4 ) means 6 units
to the right along the
x-axis and then 4 units 6 units x-axis
up along the y-axis.
Worked example 1
y-axis
 ( 6 ,
4 ) ( 6 , 4 )
( 6 , 4 ) means 6 units
to the right along the
x-axis and then 4 units x-axis
up along the y-axis.
Worked example 2
y-axis
 ( -7 , -5 )

( -7 , -5 ) means 7 7 units
units to the left along
x-axis
the x-axis and then 5
units down along the y- 5 units
axis.
Worked example 2
y-axis
 ( -7 , -5 )

( -7 , -5 ) means 7
units to the left along
x-axis
the x-axis and then 5
units down along the y-
( -7, -5 )
axis.
Coordinates
From the above discussion, each point in the
plane is located by an ordered pair ( x , y ).

We call x the x-coordinate, and y the y-

coordinate.
Example: If the point A is ( 3 , 2 ), the x-
coordinate and y-coordinate of A is 3
and 2 respectively.
( 3 , 2 )

x-coordinate y-coordinate
Worked example 3 ( 7 , 6 )

( 4 , 3 ) y-axis

What are the C

coordinates of the points
A, B, C and D? B
x-axis
( -5 , -4 ) D
A

( 4 , - 5 )
Worked example 4
y-axis
Write down the points
which have the following
coordinates:
R T
(a) (-2,4) S S
(b) (-8,-6) V x-axis
(c) (3,-5) U
(d) ( 4, 5) T U
V
(e) (-7,6) R
 Worked example 5
y-axis
Locate the following points on
the graph shown on the
right:

(i) A ( -5 , 7 )
x-axis
(ii) B ( 2 , 4 )

(iii) C ( 4 , -7 )
Assignment 1

Complete Worksheet 1 as homework.