Orienting Yourself: The Use of Coordinates | EOT

Question 1

What are the xx-coordinate and yy-coordinate of the point of intersection of the two axes?

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Solution
Understand the Question
  • The Cartesian coordinate plane is formed by two perpendicular lines: the horizontal xx-axis and the vertical yy-axis.
  • The point where these two axes intersect is defined as the origin.
  • At this point, the distance from both the yy-axis and the xx-axis is zero, meaning both the xx-coordinate and yy-coordinate are zero.

Step 1 · Identify the Coordinates of the Origin

The point of intersection of the xx-axis and the yy-axis is called the origin, denoted by OO.Since no displacement is made along either the horizontal or vertical direction at this intersection point:

  • The xx-coordinate (abscissa) =0= 0
  • The yy-coordinate (ordinate) =0= 0
Answer

Both the xx-coordinate and yy-coordinate are 00 (represented as the origin (0,0)(0, 0)).

Common Mistakes
  • Non-zero Value Confusion: Assuming the intersection starts at (1,1)(1, 1) rather than (0,0)(0, 0).
  • Swapping Coordinate Values: Forgetting that coordinates are written as (x,y)(x, y), though both are 00 at the origin.

More questions in EOT

Q1

What are the xx-coordinate and yy-coordinate of the point of intersection of the two axes?

Q2

Point WW has xx-coordinate equal to 5-5. Can you predict the coordinates of point HH which is on the line through WW parallel to the yy-axis? Which quadrants can HH lie in?

Q3

Consider the points R(3,0)R(3, 0), A(0,2)A(0, -2), M(5,2)M(-5, -2), and P(5,2)P(-5, 2). If they are joined in the same order, predict:

(i) Two sides of RAMPRAMP that are perpendicular to each other.

(ii) One side of RAMPRAMP that is parallel to one of the axes.

(iii) Two points that are mirror images of each other in one axis. Which axis will this be?

Now plot the points and verify your predictions.

Q4

Plot point Z(5,6)Z(5, -6) on the Cartesian plane. Construct a right-angled triangle IZNIZN and find the lengths of the three sides.

(Comment: Answers may differ from person to person.)

Q5

What would a system of coordinates be like if we did not have negative numbers? Would this system allow us to locate all the points on a 2-D plane?

Q6

Are the points M(3,4)M(-3, -4), A(0,0)A(0, 0) and G(6,8)G(6, 8) on the same straight line? Suggest a method to check this without plotting and joining the points.

Q7

Use your method (from Problem 6) to check if the points R(5,1)R(-5, -1), B(2,5)B(-2, -5) and C(4,12)C(4, -12) are on the same straight line. Now plot both sets of points and check your answers.

Q8

Using the origin as one vertex, plot the vertices of:

(i) A right-angled isosceles triangle. (ii) An isosceles triangle with one vertex in Quadrant III and the other in Quadrant IV.

Q9

The following table shows the coordinates of points SS, MM and TT. In each case, state whether MM is the midpoint of segment STST. Justify your answer.

When MM is the mid-point of STST, can you find any connection between the coordinates of MM, SS and TT?

Q10

Use the connection you found to find the coordinates of BB given that M(7,1)M(-7, 1) is the midpoint of A(3,4)A(3, -4) and B(x,y)B(x, y).

Q11

Let P,QP, Q be points of trisection of ABAB, with PP closer to AA, and QQ closer to BB. Using your knowledge of how to find the coordinates of the midpoint of a segment, how would you find the coordinates of PP and QQ? Do this for the case when the points are A(4,7)A(4, 7) and B(16,2)B(16, -2).

Q12

(i) Given the points A(1,8)A(1, -8), B(4,7)B(-4, 7) and C(7,4)C(-7, -4), show that they lie on a circle KK whose center is the origin O(0,0)O(0, 0). What is the radius of circle KK?

(ii) Given the points D(5,6)D(-5, 6) and E(0,9)E(0, 9), check whether DD and EE lie within the circle, on the circle, or outside the circle KK.

Q13

The midpoints of the sides of triangle ABCABC are the points DD, EE, and FF. Given that the coordinates of DD, EE, and FF are (5,1)(5, 1), (6,5)(6, 5), and (0,3)(0, 3), respectively, find the coordinates of AA, BB, and CC.

Q14

A city has two main roads which cross each other at the centre of the city. These two roads are along the North-South (N-S) direction and East-West (E-W) direction. All the other streets of the city run parallel to these roads and are 200 m200\text{ m} apart. There are 10 streets in each direction.

(i) Using 1 cm=200 m1\text{ cm} = 200\text{ m}, draw a model of the city in your notebook. Represent the roads/streets by single lines.

(ii) There are street intersections in the model. Each street intersection is formed by two streets — one running in the N-S direction and another in the E-W direction. Each street intersection is referred to in the following manner: If the second street running in the N-S direction and 5th street in the E-W direction meet at some crossing, then we call this street intersection (2,5)(2, 5). Using this convention, find: (a) how many street intersections can be referred to as (4,3)(4, 3). (b) how many street intersections can be referred to as (3,4)(3, 4).

Q15

A computer graphics program displays images on a rectangular screen whose coordinate system has the origin at the bottom-left corner. The screen is 800 pixels wide and 600 pixels high. A circular icon of radius 80 pixels is drawn with its centre at the point A(100,150)A(100, 150). Another circular icon of radius 100 pixels is drawn with its centre at the point B(250,230)B(250, 230). Determine:

(i) whether any part of either circle lies outside the screen.

(ii) whether the two circles intersect each other.

Q16

Plot the points A(2,1)A(2, 1), B(1,2)B(-1, 2), C(2,1)C(-2, -1), and D(1,2)D(1, -2) in the coordinate plane. Is ABCDABCD a square? Can you explain why? What is the area of this square?

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