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What is the X-Coordinate?
Definition: X-Coordinate
Summary
- The x-coordinate is the first number in an ordered pair
- Here the x-coordinate is 3
- The x-axis is the horizontal line of the coordinate axes
- The x-coordinate tells us where to move on the x-axis
- If the x-coordinate is POSITIVE we move to the RIGHT
- If the x-coordinate is NEGATIVE we move to the LEFT
- Since our x-coordinate was positive 3, we moved 3 units to the RIGHT

Notes
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- So in (3,4), the x-coordinate is 3
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- The x-coordinate tells us how many units we move to the LEFT or RIGHT
- Since 3 is POSITIVE, we move RIGHT 3 units
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- The y-coordinate tells us how many units we move UP or DOWN
- Here the y-coordinate is 4, so we move UP 4 units
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- The x-axis is the horizontal line of the coordinate axes
- The number of the x-coordinate tells us how many units we're moving
- The sign of the x-coordinate tells us which direction we're moving
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- On the x-axis, numbers increase from LEFT to RIGHT
- So moving to the RIGHT takes us in a POSITIVE direction
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- On the x-axis, numbers increase from LEFT to RIGHT
- So moving to the LEFT would take us in a NEGATIVE direction
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- The number of the x-coordinate tells us how many units to move
- If the x-coordinate is POSITIVE we move to the RIGHT
- If the x-coordinate is NEGATIVE we move to the LEFT