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The Cartesian Plane - Cycle 1
| Mathematics
What is a Cartesian Plane?
The Cartesian plane is a reference system.
Example:
It has a horizontal axis and a vertical axis.
Each axis is graduated by numbers. The horizontal axis is read from 0 towards the right, and the vertical axis is read from 0 upwards.
The horizontal axis is also called the x-axis, and the vertical axis is also called the y-axis.
On a Cartesian plane, each point has a horizontal position and vertical position.
The horizontal position of a point is written first, followed by the vertical position. Together, they create an ordered pair (x before y) that represents the exact position of the point.
The horizontal position of the point is 3.
The vertical position of the point is 5.
The ordered pair (3, 5) represents the position of the point.
There can also be letters on one axis of the Cartesian plane. An ordered pair can be formed using a letter and a number.
Example: (B, 6)
How to Place a Point on a Cartesian Plane Using an Ordered Pair?
To place a point on the Cartesian plane using an ordered pair, follow these steps:
- Look at the first number in the ordered pair.
- Find this number on the horizontal axis.
- Look at the second number in the ordered pair.
- Find this number on the vertical axis.
- Follow the lines for each number and place the point where they meet.
On the Cartesian plane, place a point at the position (4, 2).
| (4, 2) |
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| (4, 2) |
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On the Cartesian plane, place a point at the position (0, 5).
| (0, 5) |
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| (0, 5) |
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