Navigating negative coordinates on the Cartesian plane might seem tricky at first, but it's pretty easy once you learn how to do it. Let's go through it step by step!

Understanding the Axes

The Cartesian plane has two main lines called axes:

• The x-axis: This line goes across from left to right.
• The y-axis: This line goes up and down.

Where these two lines cross is called the origin. The point here is (0, 0).

The Four Quadrants

The plane is split into four sections known as quadrants. These are based on whether the coordinates (the numbers in the points) are positive or negative:

1. Quadrant I: Both numbers are positive (like (2, 3)).
2. Quadrant II: The first number is negative, and the second number is positive (like (-2, 3)).
3. Quadrant III: Both numbers are negative (like (-2, -3)).
4. Quadrant IV: The first number is positive, and the second number is negative (like (2, -3)).

Navigating Negative Coordinates

When working with negative coordinates, you mainly look at Quadrants II and III:

• Example 1: To plot the point (-3, 2), start at the origin. Move 3 units to the left along the x-axis and then 2 units up along the y-axis.

• Example 2: For the point (-4, -1), move 4 units to the left on the x-axis and then 1 unit down on the y-axis.

Visualization

It really helps to draw these points out. Grab some graph paper and sketch them!

Learning how to navigate negative coordinates will make it easier to understand and analyze graphs.

Happy graphing!