CHAPTER 1 · RESOURCES

NAVIGATE — Concept Note

Think first. Use AI purposefully. Verify always.

A concise revision of the approved lesson. For discovery, interaction and guided reasoning, return to the lesson.

CONCEPT

Reading and Writing Coordinates

Key Ideas

x-coordinate: signed horizontal position from the origin.
y-coordinate: signed vertical position from the origin.
On the x-axis, y = 0. On the y-axis, x = 0.
The origin has coordinates (0, 0) and lies on both axes.

Formula / Property

To plot (x, y), start at O, move x units horizontally with its sign, then y units vertically with its sign. To read a point, trace to the axes and write x before y.

Visual / Diagram

Mini Example

Plot P(−2, 3), then check it by reading back from the diagram.

Read back: horizontal −2, vertical 3. So P = (−2, 3).

Common Mistake

Do not reverse the coordinates: horizontal comes first, vertical second.

Quick Recall

A point is 4 units below the origin on the y-axis. What is its ordered pair?

Check your reasoning

(0, −4). The first coordinate is zero; the second is −4.