Coordinate Plane (1st Quadrant) • Topic 2 of 3

Reading Coordinates from a Map/Grid

Real-World Application

Maps use coordinate grids to show locations! Each location has a unique address (x, y).

How to Read a Grid Map:

  1. Find the horizontal position (column) = x-coordinate
  2. Find the vertical position (row) = y-coordinate
  3. Read as (x, y)

Grid Map Example:

    y=5  │   │   │   │   │   │
    y=4  │   │ 🏠│   │🏪│   │
    y=3  │   │   │   │   │   │
    y=2  │🏫│   │   │   │🏥│
    y=1  │   │   │   │   │   │
         └───┴───┴───┴───┴───┘
          x=1 x=2 x=3 x=4 x=5

    House (🏠) is at (2, 4)
    School (🏫) is at (1, 2)
    Store (🏪) is at (4, 4)
    Hospital (🏥) is at (5, 2)
TREASURE MAP COORDINATES:

    y
   10│                          
    9│      🌲(3,9)             
    8│                          
    7│                🏠(8,7)   
    6│          💎(5,6)         
    5│   ⛵(1,5)                
    4│                          
    3│               🔑(7,3)    
    2│                          
    1│                    🏴‍☠️(9,1)
    0└──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──→ x
      0 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

    ⛵ Boat = (1,5)
    💎 Diamond = (5,6)
    🌲 Tree = (3,9)
    🏠 House = (8,7)
    🔑 Key = (7,3)
    🏴‍☠️ Treasure = (9,1)


CLASSROOM SEATING CHART:

    y=6 │     │     │     │     │
    y=5 │ John│Lisa │Mark │     │
    y=4 │ Anna│     │     │     │
    y=3 │     │     │ Sam │     │
    y=2 │     │     │     │     │
    y=1 │     │     │     │     │
        └─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┘
          x=1   x=2   x=3   x=4

    John's seat = (2, 5)
    Lisa's seat = (3, 5)
    Anna's seat = (1, 4)
    Sam's seat = (3, 3)
Solved Examples
1
Worked Example

On a zoo map, the lions are at (3, 7) and elephants at (8, 4). Which animal is more to the right?

Solution
  • x-coordinate tells right/left position
  • Lions: x=3, Elephants: x=8
  • 8 > 3, so elephants are more to the right
  • Answer: Elephants
2
Worked Example

A city grid has library at (2, 5) and park at (2, 2). What is the same about them?

Solution
  • Both have x = 2
  • Same x-coordinate means they are on the same vertical line
  • Answer: Same x-coordinate (directly above/below each other)
3
Worked Example

On a coordinate grid, point P is at (4, 7). If you move left 2 and down 3, where do you end?

Solution
  • Left 2: x = 4 - 2 = 2
  • Down 3: y = 7 - 3 = 4
  • Answer: (2, 4)

Key Points

  • Read coordinates as (x, y) → horizontal first, then vertical
  • Same x = same vertical line
  • Same y = same horizontal line
  • Maps use coordinates to locate places
  • Always start at origin when reading coordinates
Quick Check — 4 MCQs
Tap an option to check your answer0 / 4
Q1.To read a point, find its $x$-value then its:
Explanation: $y$-value.
Q2.The first number gives the ___ position.
Explanation: Horizontal.
Q3.The second number gives the ___ position.
Explanation: Vertical.
Q4.A point $3$ right and $2$ up is written:
Explanation: $(3,2)$.
Practice more MCQs → 📝 Assignment · 35 marks