Cartesian Co-ordinate System

The Cartesian Co-ordinate System is a system that creates the illusion of working in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional space. They have 2 or 3 axes. At the centre, where the axes meet there is O. This is the origin, the point where the axes intersect.

The 2-dimensional Cartesian system has two axes, x and y (horizontal and vertical). With these two axes, you can locate any point in a two-dimensional space. Each section of the Cartesian Co-ordinate System is split into Quadrents. Quadrent 1 (x,y), 2 (-x,y), 3 (-x,-y) and 4 (x,-y). 

The three-dimensional Cartesian system has three axes, which are x, y and z (horizontal, vertical and depth). The z axis was added to the Cartesian Co-ordinate system during the 19th century.  This meant that any point in a three-dimensional space could be located using the Cartesian Co-oridinate System.

The Cartesian Co-ordinate System was developed by Rene Descartes, a french mathematician, in 1637. Descates was not only a mathematician, but a philosopher. He is known for the famous, “I think, therefore I am” quote.