Unit 3 - Objective 3 - Rectangular Coordinate Systems

A graph gives us a picture of an equation.  By looking at a graph, we can get a better idea of what we can expect an equation to do.  To get a graph in a plane, we need two lines.  The point of intersection is called the origin.   The horizontal line is called the x-axis and the vertical line the y-axis.   This is called the rectangular coordinate system.

Examples: 1. Plot the points (2,4), (-3,-1), (2,0) The coordinate (2,4) means that the point is 2 units to the right of the origin and 4 units above the x-axis. The x coordinate is listed first. 2. Determine the coordinates of the following points: A(-3,0)   B(-2,-1)   C(0,1) Given point A, the x-value is called the abscissa and the y-value is called the ordinate.

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