Rectangular Coördinates
Rectangular Coördinates
Straight lines
WE WILL BEGIN with vocabulary.
First, a coördinate. A coördinate is
a number. It labels a point on a line.
RECTANGULAR COÖRDINATES
The coördinate 0 is called the origin of
coördinates.
Distances to the right of 0 are labeled with
positive coördinates: 1, 2, 3, etc.
Distances to the left are labeled with negative
numbers: −1, −2, −3, etc.
Each coördinate is the "address" of a distance
and direction from 0.
A coördinate axis is a line with coördinates.
.
RECTANGULAR COÖRDINATES
RECTANGULAR COÖRDINATES
Distances above the origin will have
positive coördinates; distances below,
negative coördinates.
Those axes are called rectangular
coördinate axes, because they are at right
angles to one another. The coördinates on
them are called rectangular coördinates.
RECTANGULAR COÖRDINATES
They are also called Cartesian coördinates,
after the 17th century philosopher and
mathematician René Descartes; for he was
one of the first to realize the possibility of
solving problems of geometry by means of
algebra with the coördinates. Hence we have the
name coördinate geometry or, as it is often
called, analytic geometry
RECTANGULAR COÖRDINATES
RECTANGULAR COÖRDINATES
Problem 2. Coördinate 0.
a) On the x-axis, what is the value of every y-
coördinate? 0