Rectangular (Two-dimensional, Cartesian) Coordinate System
      Coordinate axes, x-axis and y-axis, origin, quadrants
         Points in the Coordinate plane
      Midpoint of a line segment
      The distance formula
      Dividing a line segment in a given ratio
         
Coordinate axes, x-axis and y-axis, origin, quadrants
The Cartesian coordinate system is defined by two axes at right angles to each other, forming a plane.
The horizontal axis is labeled x, and the vertical axis is labeled y
The point of intersection, where the axes meet, is called the origin labeled O
Given each axis, choose a unit length, and mark off each unit along the axis, forming a grid. 
The position of each point in a plane is identified with an ordered pair of real numbers, in the form (x, y), called the coordinates of the point. 
The x-coordinate, called the abscissa, equal to the distance of the point from the y-axis measured parallel to the x-axis.
The y-coordinate, called the ordinate, is the distance of the point from the x-axis measured parallel to the y-axis.
The origin O has coordinates (0, 0).
The intersection of the two axes creates four quadrants indicated by numerals I, II, III, and IV.
The quadrants are labeled counterclockwise starting from that in which both coordinates are positive.
Midpoint of a line segment
The point on a line segment that is equidistant from its endpoints is called the midpoint.
The coordinates of the midpoint M(xM, yM) of the line segment P1P2 where, P1(x1, y1) and P2(x2, y2) are endpoints,
   
   
Example:  Find the midpoint of the line segment AB where the endpoints, A(-5, 3) and B(-1, -1).
The distance formula
The distance between two given points in a coordinate (Cartesian) plane.
Dividing a line segment in a given ratio
A given line segment AB in a Cartesian plane can be divided by a point P in a fixed ratio, internally or externally.
If P lies between endpoints then it divides AB internally. If P lies beyond the endpoints A and B it divides the segment AB externally.
The ratio of the directed segments   l = AP : BP
is negative in the case of the internal division since the segments AP and BP have opposite sense, while in the external division, the ratio l is positive.
   
As       l = AP : BP 
and shown triangles are similar, then
 
which, with l negative, gives
the coordinates of the point P.
 
Example:  The line segment, with endpoints A(-3, 5) and B(6, -1), is divided by a point P internally in the ratio l = AB : BP = 1 : 2. Find the coordinates of the dividing point P.
Solution:
 
Functions contents B
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