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Coordinate Systems
CARTESIAN COORDINATES:
EITHER ONE OR TWO INTERSECTING
LINES WHICH DETERMINE THE POSITION
OF EVERY POINT IN A PLANE. X & Y
IDENTIFY THE AXIS. X IS NORMALLY
HORIZONTAL AND Y IS VERTICAL.
(ALSO CALLED RECTANGULAR
COORDINATES.
1 2 3 4 5
-5 -4 -3 -2 -1
5
4
3
2
1
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
2 DIMENSIONAL OR 2 AXIS
(FLAT PLANE)
(Y AXIS)
(X AXIS)
(2,1)
(3,2.5)
(4,3)
ORIGIN IS 0,0
X DIMENSION IS FIRST
WHEN DEFINING POINTS
IF YOU MIRROR THESE POINTS
AROUND THE Y AXIS THEN THE
VALUE OF X IS CHANGED TO
NEGATIVE NUMBERS
3 DIMENSIONAL OR 3 AXIS (COORDINATES IN SPACE)
(Y AXIS)
(X AXIS)
(Z AXIS)
ORIGIN IS 0,0
3
2
1
-1
-2
-3
-3 -2 -1
1 2 3
3
2
1
-1
-2
-3
YOU COULD DETERMINE
THE RECTANGULAR
COORDINATES FROM
POLAR COORDINATES BY
USING TRIGONOMETRY TO
WORK OUT THE PROBLEM.
WHERE AN ANGLE &
DISTANCE (RADIUS)
DETERMINES THE
POSITION OF A POINT
sin(30) x 1.500 = Y VALUE
cos(30) x 1.500 = X VALUE
POLAR COORDINATE
(Y AXIS)
(X AXIS)
30°
