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Cartesian Co-ordinates

Cartesian co-ordinates are a system whereby the position of a point on a plane or in space is given by its distances from two lines or three planes. For two-dimensional Cartesian co-ordinates, the two lines are the co-ordinate axes and are typically labelled x and y. In three dimensions, the co-ordinate axes are the lines formed by the intersection of the three planes and are typically labelled x, y and z. This system of co-ordinates was proposed by Descartes (from whom the name Cartesian originates) and was published in 1637.
 
The co-ordinates of a point are given in the form (x, y) for 2D graphs or (x, y, z) for 3D graphs. The diagram below shows (on the left) a two-dimensional Cartesian graph and (on the right) a three-dimensional Cartesian graph:
 
Diagram of Cartesian graphs
 
In the above graphs:
p = (-1,2), q = (1.5,2),
r = (1.5,-1.5) and s = (-1,-1.5)
 
a = (0,0,2), b = (0,2.5,2),
c = (1.5,2.5,2), d = (1.5,0,2),
e = (0,0,0), f = (0,2.5,0),
g = (1.5,2.5,0) and h = (1.5,0,0)

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