COORDINATE SYSTEM

Rectangular Cartesian coordinate system

We shall right now focus on two dimensional coordinate geometry in which

two perpendicular lines called coordinate axes (x-axis and y-axis) are used to locate
a point in the plane.
O is called origin. Any point P in this plane can be represented by a unique
ordered pair (x, y), which are called coordinates of that point x is called x
coordinate or abscissa and y is called y coordinate or ordinate. The two
perpendicular lines xox and yoy divide the plane in four regions which are
called quadrants.
i) Let A  x1, y1  , B  x 2 , y 2  be two points in the coordinate plane. Then

 
ii) AB is a horizontal line if y1  y 2 and ii) AB is a vertical line if

x1  x 2

Distance between two points

i) The distance of a point P  x, y  from x-axis is y and from y-axis is x

ii) The distance between the points A  x1, y1  and B  x2 , y2  is

 x 2  x1    y 2  y1 
2 2
AB 

Distance is always positive. Therefore we often write PQ instead of PQ.

iii) The distance of the point P  x, y  from the origin O is OP  x 2  y 2

iv) The distance between the points P  x1, y1  and Q  x1, y 2  is y1  y 2

v) The distance between the points P  x1, y1  and Q  x 2 , y1  is x1  x 2

If three points given to find a triangle

i) Three or more points are said to be collinear if they lie in a line

ii) Three points A, B, C are collinear  AB +BC=AC or AC+CB=AB (or) BA

+ AC=BC (or) slope of AB = slope of BC = slope of AC (or ) area of ABC  0

i) If P(x, y) divides the line joining A  x1, y1  and B  x 2 , y 2  in the ratio m

mx 2  nx1 my 2  ny1
: n, then ; x ; y
mn mn
 m m
ii) If is positive, the division is internal, but if is negative, the
n n
division is external.
iii) The point P divides the line segment joining the points
 m 
A  x1, y1  ,B  x2 , y 2  in the ratio m:n   0
 n 
mB  nA  mx 2  nx1 my 2  ny1 
a) internally then P   ,
mn  mn m  n 

mB  nA  mx 2  nx1 my 2  ny1 
b) externally then P   ,
mn  mn m  n 

x1  x y1  y
iv) If P(x, y) lies in the line joining A  x1, y1  , B  x 2 , y 2  then 
x  x2 y  y2

and P divides AB in the ratio x1  x; x  x 2 or y1  y; y  y 2 .

v) Let P divides AB in the ratio m : n

i) P divides AB internally  mn  0 ii) P divides AB externally
 mn  0

vi) X-axis divides the line segment joining  x1, y1  ,  x 2 , y 2  in the ratio

 y1 : y 2

vii) Y-axis divides the line segment joining  x1, y1  ,  x 2 , y 2  in the ratio

 x1 : x 2

Points of Trisection
Let A, B be two points. The points which divide AB in the ratio 1 : 2 and 2 :

1 are called points of trisection of AB .

Harmonic conjugate points
i) If P and Q divides AB internally and externally in the same ratio then
P is called as harmonic conjugate of Q and Q is called as harmonic conjugate of P,
Q are a pair of conjugate points w.r.t A and B.
 Area of the Triangle
i) The area of the triangle formed by the points A  x1, y1  , B  x 2 , y 2  and
1 1 1 x1  x 2 x1  x 3
C  x3 , y3  is  x1  y 2  y 3  or   x1y 2  x 2 y1  or (or)
2 2 2 y1  y 2 y1  y 3
1 x1 y1
1 1 x1 x 2 x3 x1
1 x2 y2 (or)
2 2 y1 y 2 y3 y1
1 x3 y3
ii) The area formed by n-sided polygon whose vertices are

1 x1 x 2 x 3 ... x n x1
A1  x1, y1  , A 2  x 2 , y 2  ...A n  x n , y n  taken in order is
2 y1 y 2 y 3 ... y n y1

iii) The area of the triangle formed by the points O(0, 0), A  x1, y1  ,

1
B  x 2 , y 2  and C  x 3 , y 3  is x1 y1  x 2 y 2 .
2
iv) If G is centroid of ABC then Area of GAB = Area of GBC = Area of
1
GCA  area of ABC
3
v) If D, E, F are the mid points of sides BC, CA, AB of ABC then area
1
 DEF = Area of  AFE = Area of  BDF = Area of CED  area of ABC
4
Area of quadrilateral
The area of the quadrilateral formed by the points A  x1, y1  , B  x 2 , y 2  ,

1 x1  x 3 x2  x4
C  x3 , y3  , D  x 4 , y4  taken in order is
2 y1  y 3 y2  y4

Centroid of the Triangle

i) Let G be the centroid ABC and D, E, F be the midpoints of BC, CA,

AB respectively, then G divides the medians AD, BC, CF in the ratio 2 : 1.
ii) Let D, E, F be the midpoints of the sides of ABC then centroid of
 DEF = centroid of ABC .
iv) If D is the midpoint of BC of a triangle ABC then

AB2  AC2  2  AD2  BD2 

 Circumcentre of the Triangle

i) The circumcentre of a right angled triangle is the midpoint of the

hypotenuse.
ii) Let S be the circumcentre of ABC then SA = SB= SC.
hypotenuse
iii) For right angled triangle, circum radius
2

iv) The circum centre of a right angled triangle is the midpoint of its
hypotenuse.
v) In an equilateral triangle centroid, in-centre, orthocentre and circum
centre all coincides.
viii) Centroid divides the line joining orthocentre and circum centre in 2:1
internally.
Orthocentre of the Triangle
i) The orthocenter of a right angled triangle is the vertex at the right angle.
ii) Orthocentre O, circumcentre S, centroid G of a triangle are collinear, G
2S  O 3G  O
divides OS in the ratio 2 : 1. Then G  ,S  , O = 3G – 2S
3 2
iii) If O is the orthocenter of ABC then A, B, C are the orthocentre of
OBC, OCA, OAB respectively.
.
Incentre and Excentre
i) If A  x 1, y1  , B  x 2 , y 2  , C  x 3 , y 3  are the vertices of ABC and if a =

BC, b = CA,
c = AB
 ax  bx 2  cx 3 ay1  by 2  cy 3 
AB then incentre. I   1 , 
 a bc a bc 

 ax1  bx 2  cx 3 ay1  by 2  cy 3 
Excentre opposite to A is I1   , 
 a  b  c a  b  c 

 ax  bx 2  cx 3 ay1  by 2  cy 3 
Excentre opposite to B is I2   1 , 
 a bc a bc 

 ax  bx 2  cx 3 ay1  by 2  cy 3 
Excentre opposite to C is I3   1 , 
 a bc a bc 
ii) Internal angular bisector of angle A of ABC divides the opposite side
BC in the ratio AB in AC.
 iii) If a, b, c are lengths of sides BC, CA, AB of ABC and if I is incentre
then I divides the internal angular bisector AD in the ratio b + c : a.

In a triangle ABC, OG : GS = 2 : 1,

S = circum centre of ABC ,