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The Coordinate System

The document describes the Cartesian coordinate system for representing points in a plane using ordered pairs of real numbers. It explains that the Cartesian plane is formed by two perpendicular number lines (the x-axis and y-axis) that intersect at the origin (0,0). Any point on the plane can then be located using its x and y coordinates as an ordered pair like (x,y). The slope of a line is also introduced as the ratio of the rise over the run between two points and used to classify lines as horizontal, vertical, or at an angle. Formulas for calculating slope are provided.

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jonesman
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4K views

The Coordinate System

The document describes the Cartesian coordinate system for representing points in a plane using ordered pairs of real numbers. It explains that the Cartesian plane is formed by two perpendicular number lines (the x-axis and y-axis) that intersect at the origin (0,0). Any point on the plane can then be located using its x and y coordinates as an ordered pair like (x,y). The slope of a line is also introduced as the ratio of the rise over the run between two points and used to classify lines as horizontal, vertical, or at an angle. Formulas for calculating slope are provided.

Uploaded by

jonesman
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Coordinate System

Axis Of The Real Numbers

P In one dimension, each point on a straight line can be represented


by a real number.
P The range of real numbers runs from negative infinity to positive
infinity.
P A straight line marked with an origin corresponding to the
number 0 and with all other real numbers in order is called the
axis of the real numbers.
P In the Cartesian Plane, this would be known as the x axis.
According to René Descartes, a French mathematician of the seventeenth
century, each point on a plane can be represented by a pair of real numbers
in a like manner.

Cartesian Coordinate System

The two dimensional


Cartesian coordinate system
is formed by drawing the
two axes of the real numbers
(x-axis and y-axis)
perpendicular to each other
with the intersection point
as the origin. The plane is
then divided into four
quadrants
Quadrant Properties

Reading Coordinates on the Cartesian Plane

P x coordinates are read first,


followed by the y
coordinates in the form (x,y)
P Quadrant 1 will have
coordinates (+,+)
P Quadrant 2 will have
coordinates (-,+)
P Quadrant 3 will have
coordinates (-,-)
P Quadrant 4 will have
coordinates (+,-)
Origin, Ordered Pairs, Abscissa, and Ordinate

P The origin is the point where


the x and y axes intersect.
P The coordinates of the point A
is the pair of real numbers
(XA,YA)
P In the figure, point A in
quadrant I has coordinates
(4, 3). We call the pair of
numbers an ordered pair.
P The first component of the
coordinates is called the
abscissa and the second
component is called the
ordinate in a Cartesian
coordinate system
There exists a one-to-one correspondence between the set of
ordered pairs of real numbers in a specific pair of axes and the
set of points in a plane.

For any two points A,B on x-axis,

mAB = XB - XA = |difference of abscissas|.

For any two points C,D on y-axis,

mCD = YD - YC = |difference of ordinates|.


Slope

P A number that represents the


steepness of a line on a grid.
P The number always indicates
how far we move vertically as
we move 1 unit horizontally.
P The slope is an indication of
how steep the line is.
Slope Properties

P The slope of any horizontal segment is zero.


P The slope of any vertical segment is undefined.
P The slope of a line segment rising to the right is positive.
P The slope of a line segment falling to the right is negative.
Calculation of Slope (1)

slope = rise / run


Calculation of Slope 2
Examples 1 and 2 illustrate two ways to determine the slope of a line
segment.
Determine the Slope of
Line Segment AB
Solution

P Determine the slope by


counting squares.
P Moving from A to B, the rise
is -8 and the run is 3.
P Slope AB = rise / run
= -8 / 3
= -2.667
Another Formula For
Calculating Slope
P To find the rise, calculate the difference
between the endpoint y coordinate and the
origin y coordinate.
(y2 - y1)
P To find the run, calculate the difference
between the endpoint x coordinate and the
origin x coordinate.
(x2 - x1)
P The new formula for slope, therefore is:
slope = (y2 - y1) / (x2 -x1)

P In the example at left:

slope = (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1)


= (-3) - (5) / (4) - (1)
slope = ªy / ªx = (-3) + (-5) / 3
= -8 / 3
Calculation of Slope (3)

GIVE IT A TRY!
Calculation of Slope (4)
Sample Calculations (a) slope = rise / run
= -1 / 4
= -0.25
(b) slope = rise / run
=4/6
=2/3
= 0.667

(c) slope = rise / run


=2/6
=1/3
= 0. 333
(d) slope = rise / run
= -5 / 2
= - 2.5

(e) slope = rise / run


=0/3
=0
Undefined Slopes
Slopes With a Value of Zero

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