Cartesiankoordinaattien

Cartesian coordinates, also known as rectangular coordinates, provide a system for uniquely identifying points in a two-dimensional plane or three-dimensional space. The system is named after the French mathematician and philosopher René Descartes.

In a two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, a point is located by two numbers, called coordinates. The first coordinate, the x-coordinate, represents the horizontal position of the point relative to an origin. The second coordinate, the y-coordinate, represents the vertical position of the point relative to the origin. These two coordinates are written as an ordered pair (x, y). The x-axis and y-axis are perpendicular lines that intersect at the origin (0, 0). The axes divide the plane into four quadrants.

For three-dimensional space, a third coordinate, the z-coordinate, is added. This coordinate represents the depth or height of the point. Points in three-dimensional space are represented by an ordered triplet (x, y, z). The three axes (x, y, and z) are mutually perpendicular and intersect at the origin (0, 0, 0), dividing the space into eight octants.

Cartesian coordinates are fundamental in many areas of mathematics, physics, engineering, and computer graphics. They allow for the graphical representation of equations and functions, the calculation of distances between points, and the description of geometric shapes. The ability to translate geometric problems into algebraic ones is a key power of the Cartesian coordinate system.