What is abscisa?
Abscissa is one of the pairs of terms forming a set of coordinates in the Cartesian graphics system used in mathematics. This two -dimensional system uses two perpendicular axes, one horizontal, called X -axis and one vertical, called Y -axis. Any point can be rendered using a set of two coordinates called an arranged couple, while the X coordinates are the first and the coordinates of the second. The x coordinates determines the horizontal position of the point in relation to the center of the graph, where both axes meet, which is called origin. The first number is abscisa, while the second or value of y is called an ordinate.
The term abscissa is derived from Latin and is a form of the verb absind, which means cutting off or tearing, but due to the meaning of the Latin term, it is not clear how the word gained this meaning. The first record of the term in mathematics is believed to be in the mathematical text of Roman mathematics 17th century, Stefano Degli Angeli.
Cartesian coordinates for the point on the graph are written as follows: (3.5), where the first number of the pair is the value of x point and the second number is the value y. This means that in order to graph this point, three units need to be moved to a positive horizontal or x -axis that is generally to the right of origin. Then, from this point to the X -axis, one moves five units to a positive range vertical or y axis, which is generally up. At this point there is a dot to mark the arranged pair (3.5). The playground of this particular point is 3.
In some cases, especially when using physicists and astronomers, this term is used to refer to the entire X -axis rather than a specific point. However, this rarely creates confusion, because the context for this use is sufficiently different that those with these fields are able to recognize the speaker or the writer's intention. In some older writings on mathematics and geometry, this term is used in another way. In equations fOrmes a = bt , which describes the line in the Euclidean geometry, abscissa, marked in equation as t value, denotes the point on the line and the distance t from origin.