Graphing points in the coordinate plane
Points in the coordinate plane are identified by coordinates given in the form .
The -coordinate represents a value on the axis.
The -coordinate represents a value on the axis.
The -coordinate represents a value on the axis.
Example:
Plot the point .
For our -coordinate is , and our -coordinate is .
Let's start by going right to on the -axis:
Now we go up to on the -axis, and plot the point :
Want to learn more about graphing points? Check out this video.
Want to learn about negative graphing points, too? Check out this article.
Identifying points
To determine the coordinates (or ordered pair) of a given point, we need to count the and distance of the point from the .
Example:
Use the following coordinate plane to determine the ordered pair for the given point.
Let's start by counting the distance from to the given point on the -axis:
The point is units to the right of the origin.
Now let's count the distance from to the given point on the -axis:
The point is unit above the origin.
The coordinates of the point are .