In this chapterwe will learn how to graph points on a coordinate plane
and find the distance between any two points. The coordinate planeis a
special type of map used in mathematics to plot points, lines, and shapes.
The coordinate plane is made up of two main axes that intersect at the ori-
gin, to form a right angle. The x-axisis the main horizontal axis, and the
y-axis is the main vertical axis. These perpendicular axes divide the coor-
dinate plane into four sections, or quadrants. The quadrants are numbered
in counter-clockwise order, beginning with the top right quadrant.
5
4
3
2
1
− 5 − 4 − 3 − 2 − 1 12345
− 1
− 2
− 3
− 4
− 5
origin
x-axis
y-axis
Quadrant II Quadrant I
Quadrant III Quadrant IV
19
Coordinate
Geometry