Where are positive and negative values located on the x-axis and y-axis?

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In the Cartesian coordinate system used in analytic geometry, the position of points is determined by their distance from the origin, where the horizontal x-axis and vertical y-axis intersect.12

The location of positive and negative values is defined as follows:

  • x-axis: Positive values are located to the right of the origin, while negative values are located to the left.1
  • y-axis: Positive values are located above the origin, while negative values are located below.1

These axes divide the plane into four quadrants based on the signs of the coordinates:
* Quadrant I: x is positive, y is positive.
* Quadrant II: x is negative, y is positive.
* Quadrant III: x is negative, y is negative.
* Quadrant IV: x is positive, y is negative.1