Cartesian coordinate system

American  

noun

1. Mathematics. a method of using coordinates for locating a point on a plane by its distance from each of two intersecting lines, or in space by its distance from each of three planes intersecting at a point. Compare polar coordinate system.

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Cartesian coordinate system Scientific  

/ kär-tē′zhən /

1. A system in which the location of a point is given by coordinates that represent its distances from perpendicular lines that intersect at a point called the origin. A Cartesian coordinate system in a plane has two perpendicular lines (the x-axis and y-axis); in three-dimensional space, it has three (the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis).

2. Compare polar coordinate system

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