![]() ![]() Perpendicular to each other, the axes divide the plane into four sections. The Cartesian coordinate system, also called the rectangular coordinate system, is based on a two-dimensional plane consisting of the x-axis and the y-axis. Descartes named the horizontal axis the x-axis and the vertical axis the y-axis. While there is evidence that ideas similar to Descartes’ grid system existed centuries earlier, it was Descartes who introduced the components that comprise the Cartesian coordinate system, a grid system having perpendicular axes. Further, by dividing each axis into equal unit lengths, Descartes saw that it was possible to locate any object in a two-dimensional plane using just two numbers-the displacement from the horizontal axis and the displacement from the vertical axis. He viewed the perpendicular lines as horizontal and vertical axes. According to the story, Descartes was staring at a fly crawling on the ceiling when he realized that he could describe the fly’s location in relation to the perpendicular lines formed by the adjacent walls of his room. ![]() Plotting Ordered Pairs in the Cartesian Coordinate SystemĪn old story describes how seventeenth-century philosopher/mathematician René Descartes, while sick in bed, invented the system that has become the foundation of algebra. In this section, we will learn how to use grid lines to describe locations and changes in locations. Laying a rectangular coordinate grid over the map, we can see that each stop aligns with an intersection of grid lines. Each stop is indicated by a red dot in Figure 1. On the way, she made a few stops to do errands. Tracie set out from Elmhurst, IL, to go to Franklin Park. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |