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How to Make a Coordinate Plane

Coordinate planes, also commonly known as Cartesian graphs or planes, are essentially graphs with various coordinates plotted in specific areas. The plane consists of x-axis and y-axis lines, known as number lines, that each have a negative and positive portion. The user generally obtains an ordered pair of points containing a value for the x-axis and the y-axis. You can learn to draw a coordinate plane to help you understand positive and negative numbers, as well as the concept behind number lines and ordered pairs.

Things You'll Need

Graph paper
Pencil
Ruler

Instructions

Drawing a Plane
- 1
  Place a sheet of graph paper on a flat surface. Draw a line across the center of the graph paper horizontally to create your x-axis. Repeat the procedure to draw a vertical line to create the y-axis of the coordinate plane.
- 2
  Mark down "0" at the point where the x-axis and y-axis meet at the center of the graph paper.
- 3
  Label positive integers starting at "1" along the right side of the zero on the x-axis. Repeat the procedure for the values above the zero on the y-axis. Each square on the graph paper represents 1 on the number line. Therefore, the first square after zero is "1," while the next square is "2."
- 4
  Mark negative integers beginning at "-1" along the x-axis on the left side of the zero and along the y-axis below the zero.
Graphing Coordinates
- 5
  Determine the x- and y-values for the coordinates. If your coordinate is (5, -3), the x-value is 5, while the y-value is 3.
- 6
  Count 5 spaces along the positive x-axis.
- 7
  Move your pencil 3 spaces down along the negative y-axis. Mark the coordinate by placing a dot at the position of the coordinate. Label the point "(5, -3)."

Numerology