Points which lie on an axis (i.e., which have at least one coordinate equal to 0) are said not to be in any quadrant. In Quadrant I, both the x- and y-coordinates are positive in Quadrant II, the x-coordinate is negative, but the y-coordinate is positive in Quadrant III both are negative and in Quadrant IV x is positive but y is negative. The (x)-coordinate of a point is its perpendicular distance from the (Y)-axis measured along the (X)-axis, and it is known as abscissa. (For some reason everybody uses roman numerals for this). In the system of Cartesian coördinates, a. 1), in the parabola PAC, AM, the part of the axis AB cut off by the ordinate PM, is the abscissa of the point P. Through IV, starting with the upper right and going around counterclockwise. noun In mathematics: In the conic sections, that part of a transverse axis which lies between its vertex and a perpendicular ordinate to it from a given point of the conic. The Cartesian plane is divided into four quadrants. NegativeĬoordinate numbers tell us to go left or down. ( 5, 2 ) is 5 units to the right of the origin and 2 units up, as shown in the figure. All positions are measured relative toĪ 'central' point called the origin, whose coordinates are ( 0, 0 ). The first number x gives the point's horizontal positionĪnd the second number y gives its vertical position. The location of a point in the plane is given by its coordinates, a pair of numbersĮnclosed in parentheses: ( x, y ). To show this, math textbooks usually put arrows at the ends of the axes in their drawings.

The Cartesian plane extends infinitely in all directions. Using these axes, we can describe any point in the plane using an ordered pair of numbers. A Cartesian plane (named after French mathematician Rene Descartes, who formalized its use in mathematics) is defined by two perpendicular number lines: the x-axis, which is horizontal, and the y-axis, which is vertical.

Abscissa math definition