How to Draw a Coordinate Plane and Graph Ordered Pairs

To graph ordered pairs, draw an x, y axis. The first number in the ordered pair is always the x value and the second number is always the y value. It is very important to properly label each axis. The positive values are above and to the right of the intersection of the x and y axes and the negative values are below and to the left of the intersection of the x and y axes.

Things You'll Need

• Graph paper

Instructions

1. Draw a coordinate plane (x, y axis) on the graph paper by drawing a vertical line down the middle of the graph paper and a horizontal line across the middle, intersecting with the vertical line.

2. Label the vertical line, at the top, with a ‘y’.

3. Label the horizontal line, at the far right, with an ‘x’.

4. Label each of the four sections, known as a quadrants, with a roman numeral; start at the top right with the Roman numeral I and moving counterclockwise around the graph, label the top left quadrant II, the lower left III, and the lower right IV.

5. Label each unit along each axis with numbers. The intersection of the two lines is (0,0): x = 0 and y = 0. To the right of the intersection, positive numbers increase along the x axis, and to the left of it negative numbers decrease. Above (0,0), going up the y axis is positive, and below it, going down is negative. So in quadrant I the x and y values are both positive. In quadrant II the x value is negative and the y value is positive. In quadrant III both the x and y values are negative, and in quadrant IV the x value is positive and the y value is negative.

6. Look at the first number in the ordered pair; this is the x value. In the ordered pair (5, -2), 5 is the x value.

7. Count over to the x value on the x axis. In the ordered pair (5, -2), starting at the intersection (0,0), count over 5 to the right. If the ordered pair is (-3, 4), count over 3 to the left on the x axis.

8. Look at the second number; this is the y value. In the ordered pair (5, -2), -2 is the y value.

9. Count to the y value, up or down, from the x axis. In the ordered pair (5, -2), count to the right 5 and down 2. If the ordered pair is (-3, 4) count to the left 3 and up 4.

10. Place a dot where the x and y values meet. For the ordered pair (5, -2) the point would be placed in quadrant IV at 5 over and 2 down. For the ordered pair (-3, 4), the point would be placed in quadrant II, 3 places to the left of (0,0) and 4 up.

References

• Graphing Equations

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish