THE CARTESIAN PLANE

 
What is the Cartesian plane?

Two perpendicular lines, called axes, are what make up the Cartesian plane.

Its elements are:

•    The coordinate axes are:  two perpendicular lines that interconnect at a point on the plane. These lines are the axis of the abscissas and the axis of the ordinates.

 

v  Abscissa: this axis is horizontal and is identified by the letter "x".

v  Ordered: this axis is vertically and is represented by the letter "y".

 

• The origin: is the point where the “x” and “y” axes intersect, and it is assigned the value of zero. Each axis represents a numerical scale that will be positive or negative according to its direction with respect to the origin.

 

• The quadrants are: the four areas that are formed by the union of the two perpendicular lines. The points of the plane are described within these quadrants. The quadrants are numbered from right to left.

 

•  The coordinates are: the numbers that give us the location of the point on the plane. The coordinates are formed by assigning a certain value to the "x" axis and another value to the "y" axis. This is represented as follows:

P (x, y), where:

                           v  P = point in the plane.

v  x = axis of the abscissa.

v  y = ordinate axis

 

What is the coordinate system used for?

We use the Cartesian plane to locate points and reach certain places.