How can you describe the location of something on a flat surface, like a map?

Tip: Horizontally means from left  to right .

The point where the two axes meet is called the origin.

Think of the axes as fences along the edge of a plot of land.

Because planes have 2 axes, we need 2 numbers to describe the location of any point in the plane.

In math, we call the 2 numbers that describe a position in a coordinate plane as X and Y coordinates.

The second number in the pair is the y-coordinate.

The x-coordinate describes how far to the right of the origin a point is.

The y-coordinate describes how far up from the origin a point is.

So the coordinate 2, 4 is 2 units to the right and 4 units up:

Tip: We write a parenthesis  and  around the  times  and y values because they are part of an ordered set.

Ordered sets are what mathematicians call numbers that go together in a specific order.

Your parents will be impressed with you knowing that!

So remember: Because coordinates are ordered, the first number is always the x-coordinate.

What do you think is the coordinate of the origin?

The origin is always at 0, 0. All other coordinates describe how far away they are from the origin.

A coordinate describes a location, or place, with numbers.

How would you describe where the red dot is to someone else?

You would tell them the dot's X and Y coordinates.

How do you find the x-coordinate of the point?

You count how far right of the origin it is.

The point is located 6 units to the right of the origin.

This means the x-coordinate of the point is 6!

How do you find the y-coordinate of the point?

You count how far up from the origin it is.

Just like streets are inside cities, coordinates are inside coordinate planes.

The point is located 7 units up from the origin.

This means the y-coordinate of the point is 7!

So, what are the coordinates of the location of the red dot?

Just combine the x-coordinate and y-coordinate like this:

Great! Now you know how to find coordinates on a plane!

Now, you're ready to practice your skills!

So coordinate plane is a fancy math way of saying a flat surface that has addresses.

A coordinate plane has two axes. These are the X-axis and the Y-axis.

Special note: Axes is the plural of axis.

The X-axis runs horizontally, and the Y-axis runs vertically.

¿Qué son las coordenadas?. What are Coordinates?. ¿Cómo se puede describir la ubicación de algo en una superficie plana, como un mapa?. How can you describe the location of something on a flat surface, like a map?.

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