Understanding and learning coordinate geometry is an important math skill that also holds great significance in real life. The concept of coordinate geometry was first introduced in the 17th century by the French mathematician Rene Descartes. It is the branch of geometry that forms the link between algebra and geometry through lines and curves. It is also known as analytical geometry that involves the use of coordinate planes and coordinate points. A coordinate plane is a two-dimensional plane with an x-axis and y-axis. These x and y-axis intersect each other at a point called the origin of the coordinate plane. Coordinates are ordered pairs of numbers that define the value of x and y variables to determine the position of points on a coordinate plane.

Using coordinate geometry in real life means putting all these abstract concepts and terminologies into real-world situations. Thus gaining an in-depth understanding of these concepts is highly crucial for clearly implementing them practically. Cuemath online math resources offer interactive learning for students to learn various mathematical concepts and their applications quickly. You can easily find some of the coordinate geometry worksheets that help students to grasp these complex concepts with simple illustrations and exercises easily. Here are a few examples that will help students to visualize the use of coordinate geometry in real life:

Locating Airplanes

The location of every aircraft at any particular instant of time in the sky can be determined using coordinate geometry. By using coordinates of any vehicle we can get its current location. Even when an aircraft slightly moves up, down, forward, or backward, its coordinates are updated in the system. Pilots, aircraft controllers, passengers in the flight, persons waiting for the flight will not be able to get the location or position of the aircraft without coordinate geometry. This certainly raises the possibility of aircraft crashes. Hence, we can easily figure out that the coordinate system is one of the most important parts of air transport.

Finding Distance

Coordinate geometry is used for locating points and finding the distance between two points. For example, astrophysicists find the distance between the planets with the help of coordinate geometry. Coordinates: An ordered pair of (x, y) of numbers that describe the position of a point on the number plane. The cartesian plane, which is another name for the coordinate plane, is a grid formed by a horizontal axis and a vertical axis.

Locating Points

We can use a coordinate system to find the position of any object from its origin to its present location. For example, we can find the distance of certain objects placed in the room from another corner. Let’s assume the horizontal distance of the television from the corner is 10 meters, and the vertical distance of the watch from the ground is 5 meters. If the width of the room is 5 meters, we can determine the coordinates of the watch and apply the distance formula to calculate its actual distance.

Map Projections

Map Projection is used to map any three-dimensional object on a flat two-dimensional surface. For example, to represent the curved surface of the earth on a flat map, this technique can be used. For this reason, a special type of coordinate system is used called a projected coordinate system. These projected coordinate systems are primarily used to represent the maps on a computer screen. Both two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) cartesian coordinate systems are useful in defining the shape of features and the geographic location using x- and y-values.