In the world of geometry and graphing, points are often represented on a coordinate plane, which is made up of two axes: the x-axis (horizontal) and the y-axis (vertical). To pinpoint the exact location of a point on this plane, we use coordinates. Coordinates are written in the form of (x, y), where x represents the horizontal position, and y represents the vertical position of the point.
What Are Coordinates?
Coordinates are simply ordered pairs that describe the location of a point on the plane:
x-coordinate: This tells us how far to move horizontally. Positive values move to the right, and negative values move to the left.
y-coordinate: This tells us how far to move vertically. Positive values move up, and negative values move down.
For example, if the point A has the coordinates (3, 4):
The x-coordinate is 3, meaning the point is 3 units to the right of the origin (0,0).
The y-coordinate is 4, meaning the point is 4 units above the x-axis.
How to Write the Coordinates of a Point?
The coordinates of a point are always written inside parentheses with a comma separating the x and y values. For example:
If the point is 2 units to the right and 5 units above the origin, its coordinates would be written as (2, 5).
If the point is 3 units to the left and 1 unit below the origin, the coordinates would be (-3, -1).
To give the coordinates of a point A, simply identify its horizontal (x) and vertical (y) positions on the coordinate plane and express them as an ordered pair (x, y). This method allows anyone to precisely locate the point on a graph, making it a fundamental skill in geometry and mathematics.