How do Cartesian coordinates locate a point on a plane?

The Cartesian coordinate system, developed by the French mathematician and philosopher René Descartes, locates a point on a two-dimensional plane using two perpendicular axes that intersect at a reference point called the origin (0, 0).12

The horizontal axis is typically labeled x, and the vertical axis is labeled y. Any point on the plane is identified by an ordered pair of numbers, denoted as (x, y). These coordinates represent the point's distance from the origin along each respective axis:2

• x-coordinate: The distance from the origin along the horizontal axis (positive values to the right, negative to the left).2
• y-coordinate: The distance from the origin along the vertical axis (positive values above the origin, negative below).2

By bridging algebra and geometry, this system allows for the precise algebraic description of positions and shapes within a plane, forming the foundation of analytic geometry.32