📐 Coordinate Plane (4 Quadrants)
Quadrant I: (+, +) → Right, Up
▶ Play Door 10Plotting Points with Negative Coordinates
What are the 4 Quadrants?
The coordinate plane is divided into 4 quadrants by the x-axis (horizontal) and y-axis (vertical).
Quadrant II | Quadrant I
(-, +) | (+, +)
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Quadrant III | Quadrant IV
(-, -) | (+, -)Signs of Coordinates by Quadrant:
Quadrantx-coordinatey-coordinateExampleQuadrant IPositive (+)Positive (+)(3, 2)Quadrant IINegative (-)Positive (+)(-3, 2)Quadrant IIINegative (-)Negative (-)(-3, -2)Quadrant IVPositive (+)Negative (-)(3, -2)Plotting Points with Negatives:
• Negative x → move LEFT from origin
• Negative y → move DOWN from origin
Worked example
Problem: Plot the point A(-3, 2)
- x = -3 → move LEFT 3 units from origin
- y = 2 → move UP 2 units
- Plot in Quadrant II
- Answer: Point is in Quadrant II
Answer: Answer: Point is in Quadrant II
Finding Distance Between Points on Horizontal/Vertical Lines
Finding Distance on a Coordinate Plane
When points share the same x-coordinate (vertical line) or same y-coordinate (horizontal line), distance is easy to find!
Horizontal Distance (same y-coordinate):
• Distance = |x₂ - x₁|
• Points move left or right only
Vertical Distance (same x-coordinate):
• Distance = |y₂ - y₁|
• Points move up or down only
Important: Distance is always positive (absolute value)
Worked example
Problem: Find the distance between A(-4, 3) and B(6, 3)
- Same y = 3 → horizontal distance
- Distance = |6 - (-4)| = |6 + 4| = 10
- Answer: 10 units
Answer: Answer: 10 units