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Coordinate Plane
See It in Action
Two examples of the idea done right—and one common look-alike that is not right.
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
NON-EXAMPLE
Definition
A coordinate plane is a two-dimensional surface defined by two perpendicular lines, called axes. The horizontal line is the x-axis, and the vertical line is the y-axis. These axes intersect at a point called the origin (0,0), dividing the plane into four quadrants. Points on the plane are represented by ordered pairs (x,y), where x indicates the position along the x-axis and y indicates the position along the y-axis. This system is used for graphing and analyzing relationships between variables.
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