What is a coordinate system? Definition and example


A coordinate system refers to two number lines that intersect at right angles. The figure below shows the coordinate system. 

Coordinate system

Notice how the horizontal line or blue line is called x-axis and the vertical line or red line is called y-axis.

Because the x-axis and the y-axis lie on a plane, we can also call the coordinate system a coordinate plane.

Why do we need a coordinate system?


The main purpose of a coordinate system is to locate points. Once you know how to locate points, you could also use the coordinate plane to graph lines, quadratic equations, and so forth ...  

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Math words beginning with the letter c

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