In geometry, a coordinate system is a system which uses one or more numbers, or coordinates, to uniquely determine the position of a point or other geometric element on a manifold such as Euclidean space. The order of the coordinates is significant and they are sometimes identified by their position in an ordered tuple and sometimes by a letter, as in 'the x-coordinate'. In elementary mathematics the coordinates are taken to be real numbers, but may be complex numbers or elements of a more abstract system such as a commutative ring. The use of a coordinate system allows problems in geometry to be translated into problems about numbers and vice versa; this is the basis of analytic geometry.
Read more about Coordinate System: Number Line, Cartesian Coordinate System, Polar Coordinate System, Cylindrical and Spherical Coordinate Systems, Homogeneous Coordinate System, Coordinates of Other Elements, Transformations Between Coordinate Systems, Coordinate Curves and Surfaces, Coordinate Maps, Change of Coordinates, Transformations, Systems Commonly Used, List of Orthogonal Coordinate Systems
Famous quotes containing the word system:
“The dominant metaphor of conceptual relativism, that of differing points of view, seems to betray an underlying paradox. Different points of view make sense, but only if there is a common co-ordinate system on which to plot them; yet the existence of a common system belies the claim of dramatic incomparability.”
—Donald Davidson (b. 1917)