Work with Coordinates in One Quadrant

Coordinates describe the position of a specific point on a grid or graph.

They are written as a bracket with a pair of numbers separated with a comma e.g. (4, 6).

The first number is called the x-coordinate. We find it on the horizontal axis.

The second number is called the y-coordinate. We find it on the vertical axis.

On the grid below, a point at (2, 4) is shown.

We need to go 2 across and then 4 up to mark the correct point:

A special point on the coordinate grid is the origin.

This is the point with coordinates (0, 0).

The x- and the y-axis cross at the origin.

In this activity, we will identify and work with the coordinates of points involving positive values for x and y. 

You may want to have a sheet of squared paper handy, so that you can draw and map out coordinates on your own grid to help you with this activity.