Define Abscissa and Ordinate

Define abscissa and ordinate.

If (x, y) is indeed an orderly arrangement, then y is the ordinate in this case. An ordered pairing is being used to represent a location in the Cartesian plane, and hence the abscissa is the initial coordinate (x) inside the plane.

The abscissa or x coordinate of such a location is its distance from the y-axis in the coordinate plane. The ordinate or y coordinate is the length between a point and the x-axis in the coordinate plane. The value of x or abscissa on the y-axis is zero. Alternatively the value of y or ordinate on the x- axis is zero.