Scribd
Upload
5 views2 pages

Coordinate Geometry Notes

The document explains the concept of coordinates, the equation of a straight line, and the significance of gradient and y-intercept. It provides formulas for calculating the gradient, length, and midpoint of a line, as well as the equations for horizontal and vertical lines. Additionally, it outlines how to determine the equation of a line passing through the origin.

Uploaded by

Cecile Walford-Guthrie
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
5 views2 pages

Coordinate Geometry Notes

The document explains the concept of coordinates, the equation of a straight line, and the significance of gradient and y-intercept. It provides formulas for calculating the gradient, length, and midpoint of a line, as well as the equations for horizontal and vertical lines. Additionally, it outlines how to determine the equation of a line passing through the origin.

Uploaded by

Cecile Walford-Guthrie
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Content summary

A coordinate is the position of a point given by a pair of numbers example (4, 5).

The equation of a straight line graph is 𝑦 = 𝑚𝑥 + 𝑐 where m is the gradient and c is the y-intercept.

Gradient

The gradient of a line is whether the line slopes upward or downward. Thus, the gradient has a sign
(+) or (-) and a size. It is important to note that the signs show whether the line slopes upwards or
downwards from left to right.

The size of course tells us how steep the line is, therefore, the larger the size the steeper the
slopes. We can find the gradient of a line by using any of the formulas below.

𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆
𝒎=
𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒖𝒏

In the Cartesian plane, the gradient of a line joining two points 𝐴(𝑥 , 𝑦 )𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐵(𝑥 , 𝑦 ) is given by
the formula.

𝑚=

The y-intercept

The y-intercept is the point on the y-axis where the line given cuts it. The co-ordinates of the y-
intercept are always (0, c).

The equation of a line

To determine the equation of the horizontal lines, vertical lines and straight lines passing through
the origin the following principles must be observed.

 Horizontal lines
If a straight line is parallel to the x-axis, the equation of the line is 𝑦 = 𝑐.therefore, the equation of
the x-axis is 𝑦 = 0.

 Vertical lines

If a straight line is parallel to the y-axis, the equation of the line is x= 𝑐. Therefore, the equation of
the y-axis is 𝑦 = 0.

 Straight line passing through the origin

If a straight line passes through the origin (0,0) its equation is 𝑦 = 𝑚𝑥.

For any line whose endpoints are given 𝑨(𝒙, 𝒚)𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩(𝒙, 𝒚)

 Length of a line

By applying Pythagoras’ theorem the length of a line can be calculated using the formula:

𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝑩 = (𝒚 − 𝒚)𝟐 + (𝒙 − 𝒙)𝟐 ,

 Midpoint of a line

𝒙+𝒙 𝒚+𝒚
𝑿= ,
𝟐 𝟐

You might also like