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Introduction

Abstract

This web page was developed for Pre algebra and Algebra One students in their quest for knowledge about a system for naming and graphing points. This system, named after French mathematician and philosopher, Rene Descartes (1596 - 1650 ), is called the Cartesian Coordinate Plane.

Algebra and geometry were once separate areas of mathematics. Algebra studied symbols and their relationships and geometry studied points, lines, and curves. With the many advances in technological fields, it soon became necessary to mathematically define curves. There was now a need to know how much to curve lenses in microscopes and telescopes and how to plot the courses of ships traveling on curved surfaces of the world. Descartes' coordinate system enabled mathematicians to represent lines and curves with algebraic equations.

Objectives

Upon completing this guide, students will be able to:

plot points using the coordinate system
identify the quadrant associated with a point
identify the coordinates of a point
determine whether an ordered pair is a solution to an equation
graph equations in two variables

Prerequisites

Students must be able to:

perform integer and fractional arithmetic
solve simple linear algebraic expressions

Materials Needed

sheet of graph paper
pencil

Now let us take a journey into the Cartesian Coordinate Plane.

Please forward all comments and questions to: juliakath@aol.com