Monday 22 February 2016

Math support - Cartesian Plane/Coordinate System

In math, with Ms. B, we are currently learning about the coordinate system/cartesian plane. As it is a trickier concept to understand, I am sending out a little practice that can be done at home if you are interested. This is not necessary as I know evening schedules throughout the week can be busy. I will be holding extra help at recess this Thursday and next week as well. Students were given a quiz today and asked to plot the following ordered pairs.
1. (10, 8)
2. (-1, -8) 
3. (-7, 2)
4. (5, -6)
5. (7, 8)
6. (-1, -1)
Some confusion arose around knowing which number was x and which was y in the ordered pair and similarly, which way to go first (positive, negative).

The first number in the ordered pair represents the # on the x axis, and the second number represents the # on the y axis. When we set up our cartesian plane, we try and remember that Y reaches the SKY, meaning x is horizontal and y is vertical. There are four quadrants starting in the top right and following counter clockwise (I have attached two photos below for clarification). It is definitely a skill that takes practice. If your child attends tutoring, feel free to share my email (jbonter1@ugcloud.ca) or information from this post with them.



Extensions:
This website is a good place to start when looking at plotting positive ordered pairs, however it does not include the four quadrants. Students are familiar with this program as we have used it in math before. Be sure to select the rectangle board and grid and grid numbers in the bottom tool bar: 
A game for practice:
It is called Cartesian because the idea was developed by the mathematician and philosopher Rene Descartes who was also known as Cartesius.
He is also famous for saying "I think, therefore I am".

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